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LETTERS 


CLERICAL    MANNERS    AND    HABITS. 


LETTERS 


CLERICAL    MANNERS   AND   HABITS 


ADDIIESS£I)  TO 


A    STUDENT 


THEOLOGICAL    SEMINARY, 


AT   PRINCETON,   N.  J. 


BY  SAMUEL  MILLER,  D.  D, 

Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and   Church   Government,  in 
the  said  Seminary,  ^ 


TUIKD  EDITION,  REVISED, 


PRINCETON  : 

PUBLISHED  BY  MOORE  BAKER. 
1835. 


Southern  District  ofJVew  York,  ss. 
#'****<^  BE  IT  REMEMBERED,  That  on  the  Tenth 

*  I.  s.    *  '^^y  °f  April,  in  the  Fifty  First  year  of  the  Inde- 

*  *  pendence  of  the  United  States  of  America,  Anno 
#**«*#"  Domini   1827,  G.  &  C,  Carvill,  of  the  said  Dis- 
trict, have  deposited  in  this  Office  the  title  of  a  book,  the  right 
whereof  they   claim   as   proprietors,   in   the  words  following, 
to  wit : 

Letters  on  Clerical  JManners  and  Habits:  addressed  to  a 
Student  in  the  Theological  Seininanj,  at  Princeton,  JV,  J. 
By  Samuex  Milleh,  D.  D.,  Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History 
and  Church  Government,  in  the  said  Seminary. 

In  conformity  to  an  act  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States, 
entitled  "  An  act  for  the  encouragement  of  learning  by  securing 
the  copies  of  Maps,  Charts,  and  Books  to  the  authors  and  pro- 
prietors of  such  copies  during  the  time  therein  mentioned."  And 
also  to  the  act  entitled,  "  An  act  supplementary  to  an  act,  enti- 
tled, An  act  for  the  encoiu-agement  of  learning  by  securing  the 
copies  of  Maps,  Charts,  and  Books  to  the  authors  and  proprietors 
of  such  copies  during  the  times  therein  mentioned,  and  extending 
the  benefits  thereof  to  the  arts  of  designing,  etching,  and  en- 
graving historical  and  other  prints." 

FRED.  I.  BETTS, 
Clerk  of  the  Southern  District  ofJS'e^  York. 


3,   BOGAHT,  PRINTER, 
PHINCETOX. 


CONTENTS. 


LETTER  I. 

Introductory  Remarks — Importance  of  the  subject — Pre- 
judices against  every  attempt  to  discuss  it — These  preju- 
dices considered — Good  manners  defined — How  to  be 
studied  and  attained — How  knowledge  of  the  world  is  to 
be  gamed — Value  of  good  manners — Peculiarly  valuable 
to  clergymen — To  attain  them,  we  must  begin  early  and 
labour  patiently         ....  -  13 — 30 

LETTER  n. 

General  characteristics  of  Clerical  Manners — The  ques- 
tion discussed,  whether  clerical  maimers  ought  to  bear 
a  peculiar  character — The  assertion  made  that  they 
ought — Points  of  this  peculiarity — Fiiist  point,  Dig-nity, 
— Secokd  point,  Gentleness, — Third  point,  Condescen- 
sion,— FouHTH  point,  Affability, — Fifth  point,  Re- 
serve,— Sixth  point,  Uniformity — These  principles  not 
calculated  to  fonn  artificial,  stiff  manners — No  perfect 
models  of  manners  in  this  imperfect  world — But  excellent 
approximations  to  this  character  often  exhibited  -         31 — 51 

LETTER  HL 

Offensive  personal  habits — Spitting  on  floors  and  carpets — 
Excessive  use  of  tobacco — Use  of  ardent  spirits — Fond- 
ness for  luxurious  eating — Boisterous  laughter — Paring 
the  naila — Combing  the  hair — Yawning — Picking  the 

A* 


VI  CONTENTS. 

Teeth — Leaning  on  the  table — Mode  of  sitting  in  com- 
pany— Importance  of  sitting  erectly — Pulling  at  articles 
of  furniture — Guarding  against  slovenly  habits  of  every 
kind 52—74 

LETTER  IV. 

On  conversation — Importance  of  the  subject — Talking  too 
much — Excessive  Silence — Talebearing  and  tattling — 
Prying  into  the  secrets  of  families — Propagating  ill  reports 
Discussion  of  personal  character  and  conduct — Making 
conversation  useful — Making  preparation  to  converse — 
Paying  close  attention  to  conversation — Treating  what  is 
said  by  others  respectfully — Looking  the  individual  with 
whom  we  converse  in  the  face — Opposing  erroneous 
sentiments  in  a  suitable  manner — Haughtiness  in  con- 
versation— Controversy — Losing  the  temper  in  contro- 
versy— Ease  and  attractiveness  in  conversation — Too 
much  readmess  to  make  promises  of  service — Disposition 
to  take  offence — Sudden  and  excessive  intimacies — Main- 
taining personal  dignity  in  conversation — Retailing  anec- 
dotes— Repeating  old  proverbs — Coarseness  or  indelicacy 
— Interrupting  another  in  conversation — Contradicting — 
Indulgence  of  personal  vanity — Egotism — Affectation  of 
wit — Pedantry — Flattery — Invitmg  flattery  to  ourselves 
— Speaking  of  our  own  performances — Rude  familiarity — 
Strict  regard  to  truth — Proprieties  of  time  and  place — 
Faithfulness  to  confidence  reposed — Loud  and  boisterous 
manner  in  conversation — Frequent  use  of  Superlatives — 
Conversing  with  the  wise  and  good — Observing  the  con- 
versation of  the  best  models  ...         75 — no 

LETTER  V. 

Religious  conversation — Importance  of  the  subject — Some 
popular  errors  on  this  subject  pointed  out — Counsels — 


CONTENTS.  VU 

The  duty  of  embracing  every  good  oppoitunity  for  reli- 
gious conversation — Introducing  it  in  an  easy,  happy  man- 
ner— Adapting  conversation  to  the  company — Dictation 
and  authority  in  conversing — Avoid  theological  contro- 
versy— Conversing  with  infidels — Conversing  with  per- 
sons of  different  rehgious  denominations — Conversing 
with  strangers — Conversing  with  persons  of  high  station 
— Violating  good  manners — Conversing  with  persons 
under  religious  impressions — Giving  sound  doctrinal  in- 
struction— Being  too  ready  to  administer  comfort  to  the 
anxious  and  inquiring — Excessive  haste  to  publish  the 
exercises  of  the  anxious — Conversing  too  much  at  a  time 
— Urging  to  a  hasty  profession  of  religion — The  use  of 
technical  language  in  religious  conversation — Preparing 
for  religious  conversation — Frequent  examination  as  to 
the  manner  in  wliich  this  duty  has  been  performed.  Ill — 142 

LETTER  VI. 

On  Visiting — Importance  of  the  subject — I.  Pastoral  visits 
— By  no  means  to  be  neglected — To  be  attended  to  sys- 
tematically— Preceded  by  prayer — Performed  with  faith- 
fulness— Not  in  a  formal,  task  like  mode — Extended  to 
the  poor  as  well  as  the  rich — Made  as  instructive  and 
interesting  as  possible — Particular  attention  to  children 
and  young  people — Record  of  visits  to  be  carefully  kept 
— Assembling  several  families  together — To  be  accom- 
panied by  an  elder — Visiting  the  sick — Counsels — '\'^isit- 
ing  reduced  families — II.  Social  visits — Not  to  be  neglected 
— Preceded  by  Prayer — Not  so  numerous  as  to  interfere 
with  pastoral  visits — Not  too  frequent  in  particular  fami- 
lies— Poor  as  well  as  rich — Length  of  visits  at  unseasona- 
ble hours — Dining  parties — Suitable  conversation  at  them 
— Avoid  giving  trouble — Receiving  as  well  as  paying 
visits — Leaving  every  where  a  testimony  for  God  143  — 17.5 


via  CONTENTS. 


LETTER  VIL 

Habits  in  the  Seminary  generally — Regulations,  even  for  a 
Theological  Seminary,  mdispensably  necessary — The  ad- 
vantages of  such  an  Institution — Attention  to  the  laws  of 
the  Seminary — Avoiding  noise  in  the  public  edifice — 
Spirit  of  order  in  every  thing — Punctual  attention  to  all 
devotional  exercises — Frequent  absences  from  the  Semi- 
nary— Cultivate  special  friendships— Spirit  of  respect  and 
conciliation  towards  all — Not  too  much  in  the  society  of 
each  other — Converse  respecting  studies — Treatment  of 
those  who  differ  in  opinion — Guard  against  all  unhallowed 
tempers — Ascertaining  and  correcting  foibles — Attend- 
ance on  the  Theological  Society — Public  speaking — 
Manner  of  offering  criticism — Deportment  at  meals — Care 
of  Books — Care  of  the  public  edifice — Frequent  self- 
examination  as  to  these  points         -  -  .  176 — 205 

LETTER  VIII. 

Habits  in  the  study — Cherishing  a  deep  sense  of  the  extent 
and  importance  of  Theological  science— cherishing  a 
devoted  attachment  to  the  ministerial  office — Close  and 
fixed  attention — Studying  with  a  devout  spirit — imploring 
the  aid  of  the  Holy  Spirit — Much  labour  indispensable — 
Leave  nothing  till  well  done — Write  on  every  subject  of 
study — Order  in  study — Select  favourable  hours  for 
greatest  exertion — Due  proportion  of  time  to  each — Dan- 
ger of  embracing  too  much  in  a  plan  of  study — Suitable 
selection  of  light  reading — Novels  to  be  totally  excluded — 
Constant  attention  to  Languages — Close  study  through 
life — Attention  not  to  be  confined  to  mere  professional 
studies — Reading  for  vacant  moments — Study  with  pen 
in  hand — Learning  the  character  of  books  before  reading 
them — Too  long  continuance  in  study  to  be  avoided — 


CONTENTS.  IX 

Studying  by  candle-light — Write  in  a  standing  posture — 
Abstinence  in  study — Order  and  neatness  in  the  studying 
apartment — Guarding  against  interruptions  in  study        206 — 235 

LETTER  IX. 

Habits  in  the  Lecture-room—  Evils  of  absence — Evils  of 
coming  late — Impropriety  of  attending  in  a  slovenly  dress 
— Fixed  attention  to  what  is  said — Improper  to  read  du- 
ring a  Lecture — Private  conversation  during  a  Lecture — 
Lounging  or  reclining  posture — Sleeping  posture — Gra- 
vity— Criticising — Withdrawing  from  the  Lecture-room 
— Taking  notes  of  Lectures — Every  hour  spent  in  the 
Lecture-room  precious        .  .  -  -         2.36 — 252 

LETTER  X. 

Habits  in  the  Pulpit,  and  in  the  house  of  God — Avoid  ex- 
haustion before  going  to  the  pulpit — Eat  but  Uttle  before 
preaching — Aids  for  the  voice — Prayer  before  preaching 
— Punctuality  in  going  to  the  pulpit — Manner  of  entering 
the  church — Manners  in  the  pulpit — Want  of  dignity 
in  the  pulpit — Commencement  of  service — Passing  from 
one  part  of  the  service  to  another — Closing  the  eyes  in 
prayer — Administration  of  Sacraments — Public  services 
not  too  long — Public  reproof  from  the  pulpit — Quitting 
the  pulpit — Conversation  in  the  pulpit — Flattery  m 
prayer — Deportment  of  ministers  as  hearers — Exposure 
to  cold  air  after  speaking — Quitting  the  church  with  criti- 
cisms on  the  sermon — Going  from  the  pulpit  to  the 
knees 253—274 

LETTER  XL 

Conduct  in  Church  Judicatories — Importance  of  the  subject 
— Punctuality  in  attending — Early  attendance — Special 
prayer  before  attendance— Not  to  expect  too  much — 


X  CONTENTS. 

Being  devoted  to  the  business  of  the  body — Always 
closely  attentive  to  what  is  going  on — Keeping  in  the 
pocket  a  copy  of  the  rules — Young  members  to  speak  but 
little — Wait  for  older  members  to  speak — Frequent  or 
long  speaking  never  right — All  harshness,  satire,  and 
acrimony  to  be  avoided — Treating  aged  members  with 
deference — Gravity — Frequent  change  of  seat — Absti- 
nence from  food — Candour  and  uprightness — Exulting 
in  success — Submission  under  failure — Duties  of  Modera- 
tor— No  easy  thing  to  keep  these  rules — Plan  of  choosing 
commissioners  to  the  General  Assembly  -  275 — 316 

LETTER  XII, 

Female  Society,  Marriage,  &c. — Delicacy  of  the  subject — 
Still  very  important — Some  clergymen  ought  never  to 
marry — Pastors  ought  to  marry — Too  much  haste  jn 
marrying — Where  marriage  is  not  intended  great  care 
should  be  taken  that  expectations  of  that  nature  be  not 
excited — Match-makers  to  be  avoided — Great  importance 
of  piety  in  a  clergyman's  wife — Good  sense  and  prudence 
indispensable — Good  temper  and  amiable  manners — Good 
health  and  spirits — Personal  beauty — Marrying  for  money 
— No  step  in  life  more  important  than  choosing  a  wife — 
Need  of  divine  direction — Matrimonial  engagements  not 
to  be  violated — Clergymen  exemplars  of  conjugal  excel- 
lence— Conduct  of  clergymen's  wives  and  daughters — 
DeUcacy  in  conversing  with  females — Time  spent  with 
them  usefully  employed — Contemptuous  expressions  con- 
cerning the  sex  avoided  ...  317 — 347 

LETTER  XIII. 

Dress — Style  of  living — Pecuniary  concerns — A  clergy- 
man's dress — The  dress  and  deportment  of  his  family — 
Furniture  and  equipage  plain  and  simple — Expense  of 


CONTENTS.  XI 

living  should  never  exceed  the  income — Wise  Economy 
— Meanness  in  pecuniary  concerns — Advantages  of  keep- 
ing an  account  of  expenditures — Advantages  of  paying 
ready  money  for  every  thing — Contributing  to  charitable 
and  pious  objects — Undue  solicitude  respecting  temporal 
support — Subscriptions  or  donations  not  to  be  solicited — 
If  possible  to  avoid  it,  pastors  should  not  leave  their  con- 
gregations on  account  of  Salary — If  compelled  to  resort 
to  secular  employment,  it  should ,  as  far  as  possible,  har- 
monize with  the  ministerial  character — Secular  concerns 
should  never  engross  the  thoughts  nor  the  conversation — 
Investment  of  property  so  as  to  avoid  litigation,  and  the 
necessity  of  resorting  to  coercive  measures  to  obtain  just 
rights — A  grasping,  mercenary  spirit,  vigilantly  to  be 
guarded  against  ....  348 — 367 

LETTER  XIV. 

Miscellaneous  Counsels — Punctuality  to  engagements — 
importance  of  decision  of  character — Utility  of  early 
rising — Methods  suggested  for  the  preservation  of  health 
— Importance  of  attending  to  this  subject — Extremes  to 
•which  young  men  are  prone  in  relation  to  this  matter — 
Habit  of  winning  and  complaining,  in  relation  to  bodily 
health — Brethren  in  the  ministry  should  l)c  on  good  terms 
with  each  other — Politics  to  be  avoided — Clerical  recrea- 
tions— The  mischiefs  of  hurry  in  oiTicial  duty — To  be 
avoided  only  by  great  diligence,  and  the  maintenance  of 
order  in  their  affairs — Improper  concern  about  popularity 
— Indifference  to  praise  or  blame,  in  the  conscientious 
discharge  of  Iris  duty — ill  natured  attacks  from  the  censo- 
rious not  to  be  publicly  noticed — Assigning  reasons  for 
any  particular  course  of  conduct  to  be  done  cautiously 
and  sparingly — PubUc  men  should  be  on  their  guard 
against  their  friends  as  well  as  enemies — A  forward,  o.l>- 


11  CONTENTS. 

trusive  spirit  toward  strangers  in  travelling — A  monkish 
impenetrable  reserve — Ministers  should  be  ever  ready  to 
perform  the  appropriate  duties  of  religion,  but  never  force 
them  in  mixed  companies — Troublesome  and  obtrusive 
strangers  to  be  shunned — In  travelling  all  useful  informa- 
tion should  be  carefully  sought  for,  and  secured — Every 
thing  to  be  made  subservient  to  religion — Conclusion — ■ 
The  substance  of  all  that  is  recommended  in  the  foregoing 
Letters,  with  the  divine  assistance,  within  the  reach  of 
every  candidate  for  the  holy  ministry.         ■.  -        368 — 395 


LETTERS 


CLERICAL    MANNERS,   &c. 


LETTER    I 


Thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  Consider  your  ways. — Ha^gai  i.  5. 


INTRODUCTORY. 

My  dear  young  friend, 

You  are  soon,  with  the  permission  of  Providence,  to 
enter  the  pulpit,  and  to  engage  in  the  active  duties  of 
that  profession,  which,  however  undervalued  by  the 
worldly  and  the  unbelieving,  cannot  fail  of  being  re- 
garded by  every  friend  of  Christ,  as  the  most  truly 
honourable  and  important  under  heaven.  For  this 
profession  I  trust  you  have  the  most  essential  of  all 
qualifications;  I  mean  unfeigned,  vital  piety.  If  I 
had  any  serious  doubt  as  to  this  point,  much  as  I 
respect  your  other  endowments,  and  favourably  as  I 
augur  of  your  capacity  for  the  work  of  public  in- 
struction, I  could  not  in  conscience  encourage  you  to 
take  another  step  in  your  present  pursuit. 

But  there  is  one  qualification  for  the  sacred  ofiice, 
in  which,  allow  me  with  paternal  freedom  to  say,  you 
have  always  appeared  to  me  to  be  defective.     What- 


14  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

ever  pleasure  your  friends  may  have  felt  in  contem- 
plating your  respectable  talents,  your  theological  ac- 
quisitions, and  your  laudable  zeal  for  the  advancement 
of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom;  they  have  been  often 
pained  to  observe  that,  in  what  is  called  knowledge 
of  the  world,  and  in  conformity  to  those  habits  of 
propriety  and  delicacy  which  are  commonly  estab- 
lished in  cultivated  society,  you  manifest  a  deficiency 
rather  remarkable: — a  deficiency  which  has  often  ex- 
cited surprise  in  many  who  are  acquainted  with  your 
good  qualities;  and  which,  if  allowed  to  continue, 
will  undoubtedly  interfere  in  no  small  degree  with 
your  ministerial  usefulness.  Of  this  fact  you  are 
probably  not  sensible;  for  if  you  were,  such  is  my 
impression  of  your  conscientious  desire  to  be  useful, 
that  I  doubt  not  you  would  apply  yourself  with  im- 
mediate and  exemplary  diligence  to  remedy  the 
evil.  Nay  perhaps  you  may  be  unwilling  to  be- 
lieve that  the  fact  is  so,  even  when  assured  of  it. 
But  let  not  self-flattery  blind  you  to  the  truth,  how- 
ever mortifying.  There  is  real  need  of  your  direc- 
ting particular  attention  to  this  point.  It  is  not  a  mere 
ideal  deficiency  of  which  I  speak.  What  your  most 
partial  friends  generally  agree  in  noticing,  must  have 
some  reality.  Recollect,  too,  that  this  is  a  subject  on 
which  none  but  very  intimate  friends  will  ever  ven- 
ture to  address  you.  If  you  were  to  make  a  blunder  in 
conversation,  as  to  a  point  o£ grammar,  or  oi  history , 
any  common  friend  might  be  expected  to  give  you 
some  hint  of  your  delinquency.  But  if  you  were 
every  day  to  fall  into  some  offence  against  the  deli- 
cacy of  polished  manners,  there  is  not  one  friend  in 
a  hundred  that  would  take  the  liberty  to  intimate  it 


INTRODUCTORY.  15 

to  you.  There  is  something  so  unpardonably  offen- 
sive to  most  people  in  suggesting  to  them  that  they 
are  deficient  in  good  breeding,  that  very  few  will 
venture  on  the  friendly  office,  even  with  their  most 
intimate  friends.  It  is  no  proof  then,  that  the  im- 
putation of  which  I  speak  is  groundless,  because  you 
may  not  have  heard  it  spoken  of  by  those  around 
you.  If  those  who  know  you  best,  and  love  you 
most,  are  not  respectfully  listened  to  on  such  a  subject, 
you  cannot  expect,  from  its  very  nature,  to  hear  of  it 
from  any  other  quarter.  I  have  known,  in  the  course 
of  my  life,  several  excellent  men,  whose  manners 
were,  in  various  respects,  so  extremely  faulty,  and 
even  disgusting,  that  they  were  objects  of  ridicule, 
and,  in  some  instances,  almost  of  scorn,  wherever 
they  went.  Their  good  qualities,  though  many 
and  striking,  were  absolutely  lost  sight  of,  on  ac- 
count of  the  prominence  of  two  or  three  ridiculous 
foibles.  By  means  of  these  their  usefulness  was  not 
only  impeded,  but  in  a  great  measure  destroyed. 
And  all  this,  because  they  were  unconscious  of  the 
evil  themselves,  or  at  least,  of  the  extent  of  it:  and 
their  friends  had  not  been  faithful  enough  to  apprize 
them  of  that  which  all  who  conversed  with  them  saw 
and  deplored,  and  which  a  little  attention  and  resolu- 
tion, especially  if  applied  in  early  life,  might  have 
effectually  corrected. 

I  am  aware  that  many  very  worthy  men  entertain 
strong  prejudices  against  all  formal  precepts  or  exhor- 
tations on  the  subject  of  manners,  and  are  ready  to 
consider  them  as  worse  than  useless.  These  prejudi- 
ces arise  from  various  sources. 

In  some  they  are  the  result  of  ignorance.     Many 


16  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

pious,  conscientious  men,  and  even  some  clergymen, 
are  so  totally  ignorant  of  the  world;  so  unacquainted 
with  the  most  obvious  and  established  proprieties  of 
life;  and  so  little  aware  how  greatly  a  striking  defect, 
as  to  this  point,  affects  any  man's  acceptance  and  use- 
fulness in  society,  that  when  they  hear  the  subject  in- 
troduced as  a  matter  of  serious  discussion,  they  con- 
sider it  as  beneath  their  attention.  Prejudices  arising 
from  such  a  source  are,  surely,  unworthy  of  respect. 
As  well  might  we  allow  the  judgment  of  the  profound- 
ly illiterate  man  to  weigh  against  learning.  He  de- 
spises or  undervalues  that  of  which  he  is  not  a  com- 
petent judge;  while  those  who  are  the  best  judges, 
that  is,  who  themselves  possess  the  accomplishment 
in  question,  and  who  have  had  the  most  ample  op 
portunity  of  witnessing  its  influence  and  value,  have 
always  been  found  to  estimate  it  most  highly.  I 
never  met  with  a  man  of  tolerable  manners  himself, 
who  did  not  consider  the  subject  as  very  important, 
and  worthy  of  the  diligent  attention  of  every  one 
who  desired  to  be  acceptable  and  useful  to  his  fellow 
men. 

The  prejudices  of  others  against  every  attempt  to 
regulate  and  polish  clerical  manners,  seem  to  arise 
from  that  ECCENTRICITY,  or,  as  I  would  rather  call  it, 

tliat  AFFECTATION  OF    SINGULARITY,  which   promptS 

them  to  delight  in  those  manners  which  are  strange 
and  peculiar,  and  to  look  with  a  sort  of  contempt 
on  all  rules  of  behaviour.  There  are  persons,  and 
even  ministers  of  the  gospel,  who  love  to  be  singu- 
lar; who  take  pleasure  and  pride  in  being  thought 
above  the  ordinary  laws  of  social  intercourse:  who, 
of  course,  violate  those  laws  without  ceremony;  and 


INTRODUCTORY.  17 

make  no  scru[)lc  of  indulging  in  what  tlicy  know  to 
be  considered  as  rough,  offensive  manners.  The 
miserable  vanity  of  being  thought  independent,  of 
setting  at  defiance  public  sentiment,  makes  them 
entirely  undervalue,  for  themselves,  every  code  of 
rules  of  which  the  object  is  to  make  them  act  like 
civilized  people.  And  not  content  with  this,  they 
endeavoured  to  pour  ridicule  on  every  attempt  either 
to  form  or  enforce  such  a  system  in  regard  to  others. 
When  weak  or  wicked  men  allow  themselves  to  take 
this  ground,  it  is  little  to  be  wondered  at,  and  will 
probably  do  little  mischief:  but  when  good  men 
permit  themselves  to  assume  so  absurd  a  position, 
they  know  not  w'hat  they  do.  The  consequences 
cannot  fail  to  be  injurious,  and  sometimes  to  a  de- 
plorable extent. 

But  a  still  larger  class,  I  suspect,  are  prejudiced 
against  all  such  discussion  as  that  to  which  I  would 
request  your  attention,  from  an  entire  misappre- 
hension OF  THE  object  AIMED  AT  IX  SUCH  DISCUS- 
SION. Many  have  seen  so  mi-ch  of  the  affectation 
and  folly  of  false  pretensions  to  politeness;  and  heard 
so  much  of  the  hollow,  insincere  system  of  artificial 
manners  inculcated  by  Lord  Chesterjield,  and  others, 
of  the  same  school,  who  have  sometimes  appeared 
willing  to  sacrifice  every  substantial  quality  at  the 
shrine  of  "  the  graces;'' — that  they  have  conceived  a 
disgust  at  every  thing  like  rules  or  precepts  on  the 
subject  of  manners.  And  whenever  they  hear  the 
subject  mentioned,  they  take  for  granted  that  the 
object  aimed  at  is  that  courtly  polish,  that  graceful 
and  punctilious  adjustment  of  smiles,  bows,  dress, 
and  minute  attentions,  which  form  so  large  a  part  of 


IS  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS, 

the  Chesterfieldian  code.  Nothing,  my  dear  young 
friend,  is  more  remote  from  my  purpose  than  the 
adoption  of  this  exceptionable,  and,  in  some  of  its 
parts,  profligate  system.  For,  although  it  certainly 
embraces  many  precepts  and  suggestions  which  are 
worthy  of  the  attention  of  every  man  who  wishes  to 
be  acceptable  in  well-bred  society;  it  also  embraces 
much,  very  much,  which  no  Christian  can  regard  but 
with  unmingled  abhorrence.  It  has  been,  indeed, 
not  unjustly  said,  by  some  one,  that  the  "  Letters  to 
his  Son,"  of  that  far-famed  nobleman,  inculcate  "  the 
morals  of  a  prostitute,  and  the  manners  of  a  dancing- 
master."  This  is  all  true;  and  no  one  reprobates 
the  spirit,  and  many  of  the  details,  of  those  "  Letters" 
more  heartily  than  he  who  addresses  you.  Still, 
however,  let  us  not  indulge  in  prejudice  against  a 
whole  subject,  because  it  has  been  weakly  or  wick- 
edly treated.  Let  us  not  imagine  that  it  is  unworthy 
of  our  serious  regard,  because  perverted  and  corrupt 
views  of  it  have  been  sometimes  taken.  No  man  in 
his  senses  considers  the  use  of  our  daily  food  as  im- 
proper or  unnecessary,  because  the  votaries  of  sensual 
indulgence,  have  ransacked  all  the  stores  of  ingenious 
refinement,  to  pamper  the  appetite,  and  gratify  the 
palate,  and  have  sometimes  employed  the  most 
shameful  means  to  accomplish  their  object. 

Let  me  entreat  you,  then,  to  recollect,  that  when 
I  earnestly  recommend  to  you  the  cultivation  of 
proper  clerical  manners,  it  is  by  no  means  my  pur- 
pose to  recommend  those  starched,  artificial,  formal 
manners,  which  display  constant  effort  and  constraint; 
or  those  ostentatious,  splendid,  and  gracefully  refined 
manners,  which  are  formed  upon  mere  worldly  prin- 


INTRODUCTORY.  19 

ciples;  whicli  qualify  their  possessor  to  make  a  dis- 
tinguished figure  in  a  hall-room,  or  at  the  levee  of  a 
great  man,  and  which  manifest  that  he  has  studied 
Chesterfield  more  than  his  Bible.  So  far  from  this 
is  my  aim,  that  I  am  persuaded,  many  persons  who 
pass  for  well-bred,  and  even  highly  bred,  in  such 
scenes,  are  among  the  most  disgusting  and  trouble- 
some, and,  of  course,  among  the  worst-bred  people 
in  tlie  world.  But  my  object  is  to  recommend  those 
manners  which  become  the  Christian  gentleman; 
which  naturally  flow  from  the  meekness,  gentleness, 
purity,  and  benevolence  of  our  holy  Religion;  and 
which  both  the  precepts  and  examples  of  the  Bible 
equally  recommend. 

There  are  others,  wdio,  whenever  we  speak  of  ap- 
propriate clerical  manners,  consider  us  as  designing 
to  recommend  that  habitual  restraint  and  sanctimo- 
niousness of  demeanor,  which  approaches  to  a  sort  of 
professional  dissimulation.  They  suppose  that,  in 
tlie  formation  of  clerical  character,  there  are  certain 
glosses  and  concealments  which  clerical  policy  re- 
quires to  be  studied,  and  which  are  intended  to 
deepen  and  extend  their  impression  on  the  popular 
mind.  And,  therefore,  whenever  they  hear  of  pre- 
cepts and  advices  to  candidates  for  the  ministry,  in 
relation  to  this  subject,  they  regard  them  as  making 
an  attempt  to  initiate  them  into  the  inysteries  of  their 
profession,  by  which  their  reign  over  the  minds  of 
men  may  be  more  effectually  maintained.  This 
seems  to  be  the  prevailing  opinion  of  infidels;  and 
also  of  all  those  professed  friends  to  the  Christian 
ministry,  who,  being  in  a  great  measure  regardless  of 
spiritual  living,  and  holy  example  themselves,  are 


20  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

apt  to  refer  to  affectation,  and  even  to  hypocrisy, 
every  thing  which  would  establish  a  system  of  de- 
portment more  retiring,  serious,  and  self-denied,  than 
their  own.  Such  artificial  manners,  it  must  be 
owned,  have  not  been  uncommon  among  ecclesiastics 
in  certain  parts  and  ages  of  the  world.  But  they  will 
be  regarded  with  unmingled  abhorrence  by  every 
honest  man,  to  say  nothing  of  Christian  principle.  I 
can  only  say,  that  I  neither  plead  nor  wish  for  any 
thing  of  this  kind.  My  object  is  by  no  means  to 
help  you  to  weave  a  "  professional  cloak,"  for  the 
purpose  of  covering  mental  imbecility,  corrupt  prac- 
tice, or  sinister  design.  It  is  not  to  recommend  a 
buckram  dress,  for  the  purpose  of  repelling  familiari- 
ty, or  inspiring  with  awe.  But,  simply,  to  help  you 
to  appear,  what  you  ought  to  be, — a  pious,  benevo- 
lent, amiable  man;  respectfully  attentive  to  the  wel- 
fare and  comfort  of  all  around  you;  and  seeking^ 
habitually  and  supremely,  to  promote  the  best  inte- 
rest of  mankind. 

By  good  mayiners,  then,  I  beg  you  will  understand 
me  to  mean,  those  manners  which  Christian  purity 
and  benevolence  recommend,  and  which,  where  those 
graces  reign,  they  will  ever  be  found  substantially  to 
produce.  Dr.  Witherspoon,  in  his  "  Letters  on 
Education,"  while  strongly  urging  the  utility  and 
importance  of  polished  manners,  remarks,  that  "  true 
religion  is  not  only  consistent  w-ith,  but  necessary, 
to  the  perfection  of  true  politeness;"  and  fortifies  his 
opinion  by  "  a  noble  sentiment,"  as  he  calls  it,  of  the 
Prince  of  Conti,  viz.  that  "  worldly  politeness  is  no 
more  than  an  iTnitation  ov  imperfect  copy  of  Chris- 
tian charity,  being  the  pretence,  or  outward  appear- 


INTRODUCTORY.  21 

ance,  of  that  deference  to  the  judgment,  and  attention 
to  the  interest  of  others,  which  a  true  Christian  has 
as  the  rule  of  his  life,  and  the  disposition  of  his 
heart."  And,  truly,  we  have  only  need  to  see  an 
example  of  that  unaffected  kindness,  affability,  re- 
spectfulness, gentleness,  and  attention  to  the  feelings 
and  comfort  of  all  around  us,  which  real  religion  at 
once  demands  and  inspires,  united  with  the  gravity, 
dignity,  and  prudence,  becoming  those  who  remem- 
ber that  for  every  word  and  action  they  must  give 
an  account; — we  have  only,  I  say,  to  see  this  happy 
union  of  qualities  fairly  exemplified  in  human  de- 
portment, to  be  convinced  that  nothing  can  be  more 
nobly  beautiful  or  attractive,  in  the  view  of  every 
thinking  beholder,  than  the  undissembled  expression 
of  pure  Christian  feeling:  and,  of  course,  that  to  be 
an  humble  and  assiduous  imitator  of  Christ,  is  the 
shortest  way  for  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  or  any 
other  man,  to  exhibit  the  most  perfect  manners  of 
which  our  nature  is  capable. 

So  much  for  the  general  principle.  Cultivate  the 
Christian  temper,  and  you  will  always,  in  precisely 
the  same  proportion,  lay  the  best  and  the  only  true 
foundation  for  the  manners  which  I  recommend. 
But  if  you  wish  to  reduce  this  great  principle  to 
practice,  two  things  are  to  be  remembered. 

The  first  is,  that,  as  the  growth  of  Christian  prin- 
ciple, in  the  individual  heart,  is  a  gradual  process;  as 
it  is  by  no  means  a  spontaneous  affair;  but  requires 
the  most  assiduous  and  laborious  culture;  so  the 
drawing  out  of  that  principle  into  all  the  practical 
duties  of  life,  is  far  from  being  an  easy  task.  It 
requires  unceasing  self-denial,  prayer,  and  watchful- 


22  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

ness;  and  embraces  a  large  class  of  duties,  which 
cannot  be  expected  to  be  developed,  in  all  their  rela- 
tions and  aspects,  without  being  made  the  object  of 
diligent  and  daily  attention.  Our  pride,  our  vanity, 
our  selfishness,  our  envy,  our  irascible  feelings,  our 
indolence,  and  indeed  every  corruption  of  our  nature, 
are  all  so  many  obstacles  to  the  faithful  discharge  of 
these  duties.  It  happens,  moreover,  that  the  applica- 
tion of  Christian  principle  to  the  various  departments 
of  social  intercourse,  in  all  their  interesting  and 
delicate  details;  in  other  words,  the  code  of  what 
may  be  called  ChristiaJi  morals,  has  been  less  hap- 
pily illustrated  and  enforced  by  books  than  any  other 
part  of  Christian  truth  or  duty.  In  its  leading  out- 
lines, indeed,  it  has  been  often  and  well-exhibited: 
but  the  task  of  minutely  filling  up  what  the  scrip- 
tures have  so  divinely  sketched,  has  never  yet, 
unless  I  greatly  mistake,  been  satisfactorily  per- 
formed. And  yet,  perhaps,  there  is  no  subject,  which, 
on  a  variety  of  accounts,  requires  to  be  exhibited  in 
more  minute  detail,  or  urged  with  more  constant 
reiteration,  than  this.  Still  no  popular,  adequate 
treatise  on  this  subject,  so  far  as  I  know,  is  to  be 
found.  And,  of  course,  those  who  desire  to  attain 
excellence  in  this  department  of  duty,  have  the 
greater  need  to  study  it  carefully  for  themselves,  and 
to  embrace  every  opportunity  of  becoming  more  and 
more  at  home  in  its  requisitions. 

The  second  consideration  which  deserves  our  no- 
tice is,  that  many  of  those  delicate  proprieties  of 
behaviour,  which  the  laws  of  social  intercourse  de- 
mand, though  founded,  in  general,  on  Christian  prin- 
ciple,  may  be  considered  as,  in  part,  the  result  of 


INTRODUCTORY.  23 

conventional  agreement  among  well-bred  people. 
Of  course,  to  be  adequately  acquainted  with  them, 
requires  no  small  knoivledge  of  the  ivorld,  as  well 
as  knowledge  of  the  Bible,  and  of  other  good  books. 
That  young  man  will  find  himself  egregiously  de- 
ceived, who  imagines  that  he  can  gain  in  his  study 
all  the  information  that  is  necessary  on  this  subject. 
This  would  be  just  as  unreasonable  as  to  find  any 
one  expecting  to  attain  eminence  as  a  military  com- 
mander, without  ever  seeing  a  field  of  battle.  You 
must  be  acquainted  with  the  actual  world.  You  must 
see  and  study  man  as  he  is.  You  must  become  ac- 
quainted with  the  rules  which  regulate  social  inter- 
course, as  exemplified  in  polished  Christian  society. 
You  must  even  become  acquainted  with  "  the  world 
which  lieth  in  wickedness,"  and  know  something  of 
the  laws  which  govern  the  intercourse  of  those  who 
make  no  profession  of  religion,  that  you  may  know 
how  to  understand  and  treat  them;  how  to  meet  them 
on  their  own  ground,  and  to  adopt  the  best  methods 
of  conciliating  and  gaining  them.  You  must  not, 
for  a  moment,  suppose  that  what  is  called  a  know- 
ledge of  the  world,  necessarily  implies  conformity 
to  it.  All  that  it  implies,  and  all  that  I  would  I'e- 
commend,  is  such  an  acquaintance  with  the  assem- 
blage oi  facts  in  relation  to  this  subject,  as  will  enable 
you  to  adopt  them  where  they  are  good,  or  indiffer- 
ent; to  avoid  them  where  they  cannot  be  defended; 
and  to  make  the  whole  subservient  to  the  interest  of 
your  Divine  Master. 

Do  you  ask  me,  how  the  "  knowledge  of  the 
world,"  of  which  I  speak,  is  to  be  obtained  ?  I  an- 
swer,— Not  from  books;  they  cannot  teach  it;  though 


24  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

they  may  make  useful  suggestions,  and  may  put  you 
on  the  proper  track  for  learning:  which  alone  is  the 
humble  office  I  assign  to  this  little  volume. — Neither 
can  pa7'ents  always  teach  it;  for  frequently  they  pos- 
sess it  not  themselves;  and  even  when  they  do  possess 
it,  it  is  incomparably  more  difficult  to  be  conveyed 
to  others,  than  any  species  of  book  knowledge  that 
can  be  named.  Nor  is  it  to  be  learned  even  by  going 
continually  into  society,  as  many  have  done,  who, 
nevertheless,  were  as  ignorant  of  mankind  at  the  end 
of  a  long  life,  as  they  were  when  they  entered  on 
their  course. — But  if  you  desire  to  learn  it,  you  must, 
first  of  all,  be  in  good  earnest  in  paying  close  atten- 
tion to  the  subject.  You  must  feel  its  importance. 
While  you  study  carefully  the  best  examples  left  on 
record  in  the  sacred  scriptures,  you  must  study,  with 
no  less  care,  the  living  and  acting  world  around  you. 
You  must  have  an  eye  and  an  ear  on  the  watch  for 
instruction  respecting  it,  every  day  that  you  live, 
and  in  every  company  that  you  enter.  You  must 
watch  with  especial  vigilance,  every  part  of  the  man- 
ners, deportment,  and  conversation  of  the  wise,  the 
virtuous  and  the  polished  with  whom  you  may  hap- 
pen to  associate  from  time  to  time.  The  true  reason 
why  so  many  are  in  the  world,  and  even,  sometimes, 
in  the  polite  and  great  world,  for  threescore  years 
together,  without  gaining  a  particle  of  what  we  call 
real  "knowledge  of  the  world," — no  doubt  is,  that 
they  have  always  passed  along  through  society  either 
with  so  much  levity  and  inattention,  or  with  so  much 
hebetude  of  feeling,  as  to  this  particular  point,  that 
they  have  observed  nothing,  and,  of  course,  learned 
nothing.     They  have,  therefore,  closed  their  career, 


INTRODUCTORY.  25 

in  old  age,  just  as  iji;norant,  in  this  respect,  as  they 
were  in  the  tendercst  boyhood.  In  short,  if  men 
have  not  the  knack  of  closely  observing,  and  the 
faculty  also  of  laying  up  their  experience,  and  pro- 
fiting by  their  observation,  I  know  of  no  way  ii 
which  they  can  hope  to  become  tolerable  adepts  in 
the  science  of  human  nature,  however  ample  and 
long  continued  the  external  advantages  which  they 
may  enjoy. 

Do  you  ask  me,  of  what  real  importance,  after  all, 
well  regulated  and  polished  manners  can  be,  to  a  man 
engaged  in  an  employment  so  elevated  and  momen- 
tous as  that  of  a  minister  of  the  gospel  ?  Is  it  not  a 
matter,  perhaps  you  will  inquire,  rather  too  smaU 
to  engage  the  attention  of  one,  whose  time  and  ta- 
lents ought  to  be  occupied  about  much  more  exalted 
things  ?  That  a  clergyman  ought  not,  and,  con- 
sistently with  his  usefulness,  cannot,  have  manners 
either  glaringly  ridiculous,  or  grossly  offensive, 
you  will  say,  you  allow:  but  where  is  the  great  ad- 
vantage of  pushing  the  cultivation  of  the  exterior 
beyond  this  negative  character  ?  I  have  often  heard 
suggestions  of  this  kind;  but  am  deliberately  of  the 
opinion  that  they  are  founded  in  false  and  narrow 
views  of  human  nature,  and  of  human  society. 

For,  in  the  first  place,  'with  respect  to  large  num- 
bers of  those  with  whom  clergymen,  as  well  as  others, 
are  called  to  associate,  they  look  quite  as  much,  it 
not  more,  to  manners  than  to  solid  worth.  They  are 
poor  judges  of  talents,  learning,  prudence,  and  even 
piety;  but  of  easy,  mild,  respectful,  amiable  manners, 
every  one  is  a  judge;  and,  of  course,  every  one  is 
capable  of  being  favourably  impressed  by  them.    Can 


26  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

there  be,  then,  a  more  obvious  dictate,  both  of  policy 
and  duty,  than  to  cultivate  that  which  to  multitudes 
is  more  attractive  than  real  merit;  which  secures  to 
merit  a  hearing,  and  an  influence  which  it  would  not 
otherwise  obtain;  and  which  will  be  likely,  in  many 
cases,  to  open  a  door  to  usefulness,  which,  without  it, 
would,  in  all  probability,  have  continued  impenetra- 
bly closed  ?  In  repeated  instances,  have  I  known 
men  of  weak  minds,  and  of  small  information,  but 
of  remarkably  fascinating  manners,  carry  all  before 
them,  in  circles  of  society,  into  which  men  of  far 
higher  qualifications,  both  intellectual  and  moral,  but 
defective  in  the  attractions  of  manner,  were  scarcely 
able  to  obtain  admittance.  A  soft,  insinuating  ad- 
dress has,  a  thousand  times,  rendered  its  possessor 
triumphant,  when,  upon  every  principle  of  truth  and 
justice,  he  ought  to  have  failed. 

But,  in  the  second  place,  it  is  not  only  true  that, 
in  very  large  portions  of  society,  a  well  regulated 
manner  is  every  thing;  atoning  for  the  want  both  of 
virtue  and  knowledge,  and  frequently  superseding 
the  highest  worth;  but  it  has  more  influence,  even 
with  the  most  discerning  and  virtuous,  than  is  com- 
monly imagined.  To  every  human  being,  that  which 
is  intrinsically  excellent,  appears  doubly  attractive 
when  presented  in  a  pleasing  manner.  Truth,  even 
to  those  who  know  it  to  be  truth,  finds  a  more  cor- 
dial welcome;  and  duty,  even  among  its  most  sincere 
and  enlightened  friends,  commands  a  more  ready 
obedience,  when  they  are  clothed  in  an  attractive 
garb,  and  speak  in  alluring  accents.  That  the  very 
same  words,  which,  when  uttered  by  some,  are  in- 
tolerably offensive,  when  spoken  in  the  mild  respect- 


INTRODUCTORY.  27 

ful  manner  of  others,  arc  welcome  and  even  delight- 
ful; that  the  very  same  action,  which,  performed  by 
some,  is  censured,  when  performed  by  others,  of 
perhaps  less  talent  or  virtue,  is  lauded  to  excess;  are 
among  the  most  notorious  facts  in  human  life;  and 
that  not  in  the  circles  of  the  ignorant  and  unprinci- 
pled onl}';  but  also  in  those  of  the  most  estimable 
portions  of  mankind. 

How  is  it  possible,  then,  for  a  thinking  man  to  con- 
sider the  subject  on  which  I  address  you  as  unworthy 
of  his  regard,  or  as  even  of  small  importance  ?  To 
adopt  this  opinion,  is  equally  to  oppose  reason  and 
experience,  and  to  set  at  naught  some  of  the  most 
precious  means  of  gaining  access  to  the  human  heart. 

Let  me  entreat  you  to  remember,  too,  that  those 
who  bear  the  office  to  which  you  aspire,  stand  more 
peculiarly  in  need  of  the  aid  which  polished  and  at- 
tractive manners  furnish,  than  any  other  class  of  men. 
To  them  the  use  of  "carnal  weapons"  is  interdicted. 
They  neither  have,  nor  ought  to  have,  as  ministers, 
any  other  influence  in  societ}",  than  that  which  arises 
from  the  sacredness  of  their  office,  the  excellence  of 
their  character,  and  the  attraction  of  their  manners. 
It  is  their  great  business  to  win  men  to  the  love  of 
the  truth  and  of  duty  by  moral  jneans,  and  among 
others,  by  exhibiting  in  their  own  temper  and  lives, 
the  meek,  lowly,  amiable,  and  benevolent  spirit  of 
the  religion  which  they  inculcate.  If  they  fail  of 
doing  this,  they  fiiil  in  one  of  the  most  important 
means,  of  professional  success.  And  yet  it  is  plain 
that  every  minister  must  essentially  fail  here  who 
does  not  succeed  in  setting  forth,  in  his  own  person, 


28  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

a  style  of  manners  adapted  to  conciliate  the  respect 
and  good  will  of  all  whom  he  approaches. 

And  when  I  recollect  how  extremely  important 
the  first  steps  of  a  young  minister  are;  at  how  early 
and  inexperienced  an  age  he  frequently  enters  on  his 
public  work;  how  much  depends  on  the  character  of 
his  habits  and  manners  when  he  is  least  sensible  of 
the  fact;  and  how  completely  he  may  prostrate  his 
dignity,  and  foreclose  his  usefulness,  by  a  few  ridicu- 
lous foibles,  or  inadvertent  habits,  of  the  existence  of 
which  it  would  be  sometimes  difficult  to  convince 
him: — I  say,  when  I  recollect  all  these  things,  I  am 
astonished  that  candidates  for  the  ministry  think  so 
little  of  this  matter,  and  are  so  little  concerned  to 
form  a  style  of  manners,  which  may  be  conducive, 
at  once,  to  their  comfort  and  usefulness. 

Allow  me  further,  my  dear  young  friend,  to  re- 
mark, that  if  you  wish  to  succeed  in  forming  such 
manners  as  it  is  the  object  of  these  pages  to  recom- 
mend, you  must  begin  early  and  labour  patient- 
ly; otherwise,  you  will  never  make  the  attainment. 
As  the  discipline  of  the  temper  and  feelings  ought 
to  be  commenced  with  the  earliest  dawn  of  reason, 
and  is  the  work  of  a  lifetime;  so  the  discipline  of  the 
manners,  if  the  expression  may  be  allowed,  depend- 
ing, as  it  does,  for  success  on  "  ruling  our  spirits," 
should  be  begun  as  early  as  possible;  the  sooner  the 
better.  Say  not,  it  is  too  soon  for  you  to  begin  to 
^^  put  on  the  cler^yraan^^^  when  you  are  only  in  the 
second  year  of  your  theological  studies.  Let  me  tell 
you,  my  friend,  if  you  begin  now,  and  labour  in  this 
species  of  culture  with  the  utmost  assiduity,  I  shall 


INTRODUCTORY.  29 

consider  you  as  doing  great  things  if  you  succeed  in 
forming  even  tohiahh  clerical  manners  by  the  time 
you  are  ready  to  enter  the  pulpit.  It  is,  as  I  have 
already  said,  a  gradual  work.  In  the  conflict  with 
3'our  old  habits,  and  your  unhallowed  feelings,  you 
will  have  many  a  painful  struggle,  and  will  probably 
suffer  many  a  discouraging  defeat.  It  will  be  much 
if  you  ultimately  gain  the  victory.  If  you  are  so 
happy,  you  will  find  it  to  be  no  easy  conquest.  But, 
when  gained,  it  will  be  the  most  glorious  and  the 
most   precious   of   all   victories — a   victory    over 

YOURSELF. 

You  will  perceive  that  my  counsel  extends  beyond 
the  time  that  you  propose  to  spend  in  the  Theologi- 
cal Seminary,  and,  indeed,  will  apply,  in  some  of  its 
parts,  to  the  whole  of  your  clerical  life,  should  it  be 
ever  so  long.  This  was  expressly  intended.  It  oc- 
curred to  me  that  a  little  manual,  addressed  to  one 
of  those  who  bear  to  me  the  relation  of  pupils,  adapt- 
ed to  promote  his  benefit,  not  only  while  he  continues 
in  the  institution  of  wdiich  I  am  an  officer,  but  when 
he  shall  have  taken  his  leave  of  it,  nay,  as  long  as  he 
lives;  might,  at  the  same  time,  if  given  through  the 
medium  of  the  press,  be  of  some  use  to  others,  to 
whom  I  have  had,  and  may  yet  have,  the  honour  and 
the  pleasure  to  stand  in  the  same  relation;  not  merely 
in  the  beginning,  but  throughout  the  whole  of  their 
course.  And  if  the  following  pages  should  be  blessed, 
in  the  smallest  degree,  to  3-our  advantage,  or  that  of 
any  other  individual,  in  preparing  for  a  profession 
wdiich  I  love,  I  shall  consider  myself  as  abundantly 
rewarded. 

I  will  only  add,  that  in  preparing  this  little  system 
c* 


30  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

of  advices,  I  have  by  no  means  forgotten  how  small 
my  title  is  to  assume  the  office  of  teacher  on  such  a 
subject.  It  is  a  maxim  in  physical  science,  that  a 
stream  can  never,  in  ordinary  circumstances,  rise 
hio;her  than  its  fountain.  If  I  thought  this  maxim 
applied  as  rigidly  in  intellectual  and  moral  culture,  I 
should  lay  down  my  pen  in  despair:  or  rather,  I 
should  not  have  dared  to  take  it  up  for  the  purpose 
of  discussing  a  subject  at  once  so  delicate  and  difficult. 
But  it  does  not.  Nothing  is  more  common  than  to 
see  pupils  rising  far  higher  than  their  instructors  in 
knowledge  and  practical  wisdom.  This  thought 
comforts  and  animates  me  in  the  undertaking.  My 
office  having  placed  me  in  the  way  of  perceiving 
how  greatly  a  body  of  precepts  and  suggestions  on 
this  subject  is  needed:  having  never  seen  any  thing 
which  appeared  to  me  to  approach  toward  answering 
the  purpose  in  view:  knowing  that  all  that  many 
ingenuous  youth  need  to  put  them  on  the  right  track, 
is  a  collection  of  hints,  for  setting  their  own  minds 
at  work;  and  hoping  that  what  is  "sown  in  weak- 
ness," may  be  "  raised  in  power,"  I  venture  to  make 
the  attempt  which  the  title  of  these  letters  announces. 
May  our  common  Master  accept  and  bless,  it  ! 


LETTER    II. 


See  tliat  ye  walk  circumspectly,  not  as  fools,  but  as  wise. — Eph.  v.  15, 


GENERAL  CHARACTERISTICS    OF  CLERICAL  MAN- 
NERS. 

Mt  DEAR  YOUNG  FRIEND, 

In  pursuing  the  subject  introduced  to  your  view  in 
the  preceding  letter,  a  question  presents  itself,  which 
seems  to  require  some  discussion,  before  we  proceed 
to  the  details  which  are  intended  to  occupy  the  fol- 
lowing pages.  The  question  is  this — Is  there  anj" 
thing  peculiar  in  the  style  of  manners  proper  for  a 
minister  of  the  gospel  ?  Ought  the  manners  of  a 
clergyman  perceptibly  to  d/ffe7'(roni  those  of  a  well- 
bred  man  of  a  secular  profession  ?  I  think  they 
ought.  That  is  to  say,  I  am  clearly  of  the  opinion 
that  they  ought  to  bear  a  stamp,  in  a  variety  of  par- 
ticulars, characteristic  of  the  hallowed  spirit  and 
sacred  office  with  which  they  are  connected.  All 
other  professional  men,  indeed,  would  be  the  better 
for  having  the  same  sort  of  manners  that  I  am  about 
to  recommend  to  ministers  of  the  gospel;  but  with 
respect  to  the  latter,  they  are  so  indispeiiscibli/  ne- 
cessary to  the  complete  attainment  of  all  those  ad- 
vantages which  manners  can   impart  ta  their  pos- 


32  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

sessor,  that  they  may  be  said,  without  impropriety, 
to  he  2^c(^uliarly  clerical  in  their  nature. 

If  I  were  to  attempt  to  exhibit  the  peculiarity  in 
question,  I  should  say  it  may  be  expressed  in  six 
words — Dignity,  Gentleness,  Condescension,  Sf- 
fability.  Reserve,  and  Uniformity. 

1.  Dignity.  By  this  I  mean  that  happy  mixture  of 
gravity  and  elevation  in  human  deportment,  which 
evinces  a  mind  habitually  thoughtful,  serious,  and  set 
on  high  things.  An  air  and  manner  opposed  to 
levity;  opposed  to  that  propensity  to  jesting,  which 
is  so  often  manifested  by  some  who  bear  the  sacred 
office;  opposed  to  what  is  grovelling;  opposed,  in 
short,  to  every  species  of  lightness  or  volatility, 
which,  however  tolerated  in  young  persons  of  secu- 
lar professions,  is  barely  tolerated,  even  in  them,  and 
certainly  adds  nothing  to  their  respectability  in  the 
view  of  any  one:  but  which,  in  ministers  of  the  gos- 
pel, is  peculiarly  unseemly,  and  never  fails  to  lower 
the  estimation  in  which  they  are  held  by  all  discern- 
ing people,  I  have  often  thought,  my  young  friend, 
that  you  were  by  far  too  ready  to  give  way  to  your 
risible  feelings.  Every  public  man,  and  especially 
every  clergyman,  ought  to  cultivate  that  habitual 
sedateness,  and  command  of  his  countenance,  which 
will  prevent  his  being  the  sport  of  every  ludicrous 
occurrence,  or  merry-andrew,  who  may  happen  to  be 
presented  to  his  view. 

The  dignity  of  which  I  speak  also  requires  its 
possessor  to  avoid  those  companies,  in  which  lan- 
guage, and  scenes  are  likely  to  be  exhibited,  which 
ought  not  to  be  even  witnessed  by  a  minister  of  the 
gospel.     If  any  thing  of  this  kind  be  expected  in  a 


GENERAL  CHARACTERISTICS.  33 

company  before  it  assembles,  a  minister  ought  to  de- 
cline making  one  of  its  number: — And  if,  after  he 
has  joined  it,  there  be  any  indication  of  the  approach 
of  such  scenes,  he  ought  to  take  an  early  opportunity 
of  escaping  before  they  actually  make  their  appear- 
ance. Even  duihig,  or  tea  parties,  in  which  any 
thing  like  the  reign  of  levity,  and  especially  of 
revelry,  is  anticipated,  ought  to  be  invariably  shunned 
by  an  ambassador  of  Christ.  That  you  will  not 
allow  yourself  to  be  present  at  places  in  which  cards 
or  daiicing  are  made  a  part  of  the  professed  and 
prominent  entertainment,  I  take  for  granted.  But  I 
will  go  further.  When  you  are  invited  even  to  what 
are  called  family  jjarties,  and  you  find  either  cards 
or  dancing  about  to  be  introduced,  though  it  be  on 
the  smallest  scale,  and  in  the  most  domestic  way, 
make  a  point  of  withdrawing.  It  is,  on  all  accounts, 
better  to  be  absent.  When  a  clergyman  allows  him- 
self to  be  found  in  the  midst  of  exhibitions  of  this 
nature,  though  he  take  no  part  in  them,  yet,  if  he 
have  a  proper  sense  of  Christian  and  ministerial  duty, 
he  will  be  more  or  less  embarrassed;  and,  if  he 
attempt  to  be  faithful  in  reproof  or  remonstrance, 
may,  perhaps,  do  more  harm  than  good.  Many  a 
minister  of  Christ,  in  these  circumstances,  has  been 
involved  in  conflicts,  in  the  course  of  which  his  feel- 
ings have  been  lacerated,  his  dignity  lowered,  and 
his  comfort  wounded  in  no  small  degree.  Lay  it 
down  as  a  fixed  principle,  that  you  cannot  possibly 
be  in  light,  frivolous  company,  or  where  frivolous 
engagements  are  going  on,  even  if  there  be  no  other 
mischief,  without  having  your  dignity  impaired.  If 
the  gravity  and  respectability  of  your  character  do 


34  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

not  prevent  every  thing  unseemly,  or  approaching  to 
it,  from  occurring,  it  is  no  place  for  you.  How  much 
better  is  it,  with  a  wise  caution,  to  avoid,  as  far  as 
possible,  all  such  embarrassing  places ^nd  companies! 
The  prudent  man  foreseeth  the  evil,  and  hideth 
himself. 

The  dignity  of  which  I  speak  should  also  prevent 
ministers,  however  youthful,  from  engaging  in  many 
of  those  recreations,  which  may  not  be  unsuitable 
for  others,  but  in  which  one,  who  is  officially  bound 
to  be  grave,  ought  not  to  indulge.  If  you  happen  to 
be  thrown  into  young  company,  and  any  of  the  little 
plays,  which  are  frequently  resorted  to,  by  youth  of 
both  sexes,  for  passing  away  time,  happen  to  be  in- 
troduced, it  will  be  by  no  means  proper  that  you 
take  any  part  in  them.  However  admissible  such 
plays  may  be  for  children,  or  for  those  who  are  just 
rising  above  the  age  of  children,  a  minister,  or  a 
candidate  for  the  holy  ministr}^,  ought  to  be  more 
gravely  and  appropriately  employed. 

Again;  the  dignity  of  manner  which  I  wish  to 
inculcate,  may  be  impaired  by  various  little  infelici- 
ties of  deportment  into  which  those  who  are  not 
prudently  and  delicately  on  their  guard,  may  be  be- 
trayed. I  have  known  worthy  men,  who  had  so 
little  knowledge  of  human  nature,  and  so  little  sense 
of  propriety,  that  they  suffered  themselves  to  be  in- 
volved in  angry  contention  with  ostlers,  with  stage- 
drivers,  with  boatmen,  and  other  coarse  and  vulgar 
men,  with  whom  they  were  brought  in  contact. 
Carefully  avoid  every  thing  of  this  sort.  Rather 
suffer  wrong,  than  run  the  risk  of  a  public  conflict 
with  those  who  are  generally  rude  and  foul-mouthed, 


GENERAL  CHARACTERISTICS,  35 

and  too  often  altogether  lawless.  It  is  unbecoming 
enough  for  a;?y  grave  man  to  be  involved  in  such 
controversies;  but  for  a  clergyman,  it  is  peculiarly  un- 
becoming. I  might  not  always  estimate  his  talents; 
but  I  should  certainly  always  estimate  his  personal 
dignitij  by  observing  the  degree  of  care  and  vigilance 
with  which  he  avoided  rencounters  of  this  kind. 

Further;  when  I  speak  of  dignified  manners  in  a 
minister  of  the  gospel,  I  refer  to  that  character  of 
deportment  which  is  opposed  to  littleness,  not  to 
say  meanness,  in  his  dealings.  There  is  often  found, 
in  this  respect,  in  some  ministers,  otherwise  men  of 
great  excellence,  a  striking  want  of  just  taste  and 
delicacy.  They  can  higgle  and  chaffer  about  a  cent, 
with  almost  as  much  pertinacity  as  might  be  expected 
from  a  beggar.  They  can  resort  to  as  many  petty 
arts  for  gaining  a  favourable  bargain,  even  in  the 
smallest  affair,  as  if  dexterity  in  dealing  were  their 
trade.  And,  even  with  the  poorest  individuals  with 
whom  they  deal,  they  are  ready  to  contend  about  a 
trifle  with  the  most  determined  obstinacy.  In  short, 
I  have  known  men  of  the  sacred  profession,  in  whom 
the  rage  for  little  savings,  in  all  their  pecuniary 
transactions,  appeared  to  be  a  besetting  infirmity,  and 
to  follow  them  through  their  whole  course,  and  on 
some  occasions  led  them  to  exhibit  themselves  in  a 
point  of  light  altogether  unworthy  of  their  office.  In 
making  these  remarks,  I  have  no  design  to  censure 
that  habitual,  and  even  rigid  economy,  which  rnust, 
of  necessity,  and  certainly  ougtit  to  be  practised,  by 
those  whose  circumstances  are  narrow,  and  who  have 
no  means  of  enlarging  them;  and  this  is  probably  the 
case  with  a  majority  of  those  who  devote  themselves 


36  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

to  the  service  of  the  church.  In  all  such,  a  constant 
care  to  guard  against  unnecessary  expenditure  is  not 
only  allowable,  but  is,  doubtless,  a  Christian  duty. 
But  there  is  a  wide  difference  between  this,  and  con- 
ducting pecuniary  expenditures,  when  we  resolve  to 
incur  them,  in  a  pitiful  manner;  a  manner  which 
indicates  a  mind  inordinately  set  on  the  most  paltry 
gains  and  savings.  I  remember  once  to  have  re- 
ceived a  very  unfavourable  impression  of  a  clergy- 
man, some  time  since  deceased,  on  observing  that  he 
employed  a  considerable  portion  of  precious  time, 
and  expended  no  small  share  of  ingenuity,  in  recover- 
ing from  a  particular  friend  five  cents,  when  he  had 
just  received  from  that  friend  what  was  of  more 
value  than  ten  times  that  amount  in  value. 

Again;  the  dignity  which  I  recommend,  is  opposed 
to  all  those  arts  in  social  intercourse,  which,  though 
not  really  crooked  or  disingenuous;  yet  approach  the 
confines  of  what  is  so,  and  may,  possibly,  be  liable, 
with  some,  to  that  imputation.  Make  it  a  sacred 
point  never  to  engage  in  any  covert  or  questionable 
course  of  action.  Let  both  your  speech  and  your 
conduct  be  always  so  perfectly  fair,  candid  and  hon- 
ourable, that  the  more  they  are  scrutinized,  the  more 
perfectly  correct  and  creditable  they  will  appear. 
Never  venture,  in  any  case,  or  for  the  purpose  of 
gratifying  any  person  whatever,  to  do  or  say  that 
which,  if  it  should  become  fully  known  to  the  pub- 
lic, would  place  your  character  in  an  undesirable 
point  of  light.  Even,  if  disclosed,  it  be  very  far 
from  fixing  the  charge  of  dishonesty  upon  you;  yet 
if  it  may  expose  you  to  the  charge  of  littleness,  of 
imprudence,  of  paltry  management,  or  of  undignified 


GENERAL  CHARACTERISTICS.  37 

interference  in  the  affairs  of  others,  you  will  furnish 
matter  of  regret  to  every  serious  friend  of  clerical 
character. 

I  will  only  add,  that  another  characteristic  and 
advantage  of  dignity  in  manners,  is,  that,  when  pro- 
perly exercised,  it  tends  to  repress  the  risings,  and 
repel  the  approaches  of  impertinence.  I  have  seen 
many  men  in  whose  presence  it  was  impossible  to 
take  any  improper  liberty.  Not  because  they  were 
haughty,  overbearing,  or  sanctimonious;  but  because 
there  was  such  a  mixture  of  gravity,  respectfulness, 
and  benevolence  in  their  whole  air  and  manner,  that 
the  impertinent,  the  frivolous,  and,  of  course,  the 
profane,  were  abashed  in  approaching  them.  "  There 
is  something  defective,"  says  the  eloquent  Dr.  Jay^ 
"  especially  in  a  minister,  unless  his  character  pro- 
duces an  atmosphere  around  him,  which  is  felt  as 
soon  as  entered.  It  is  not  enough  for  him  to  have 
courage  to  reprove  certain  things;  he  should  have  dig- 
nity enough  to  prevent  them;  and  he  will,  if  the 
Christian  be  commensurate  with  the  preacher,  and 
if  he  '  walk  worthy  of  God,  who  hath  called  us  into 
his  kingdom  and  glory.'  "* 

2.  Gentleness.  By  this  you  will  readily  perceive 
to  be  meant,  that  habitual  mildness  of  disposition, 
and  softness  of  manner,  which  carefully  guard  against 
every  thing,  in  speech  or  behaviour,  adapted  unne- 
cessarily to  offend  or  to  give  uneasiness.  It  is  op- 
posed to  every  kind  of  harshness  or  undue  severity, 
and  forms  a  deportment  calculated  to  conciliate  and 
attract  all  to  whom  it  is  manifested.     You,  doubtless, 

*  Life  of  Winter,  p.  299. 
D 


38  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

remember  that  this  disposition,  and  the  correspond- 
ing expressions  of  it,  are  represented  in  scripture  as 
among  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit.  The  wisdom  that  is 
from  above,  says  the  apostle  James,  is  gentle.  And 
the  apostle  Paul,  speaking  particularly  of  ministers, 
says — The  servant  of  the  Lord  must  not  strive, 
but  be  gentle  unto  all  men,  ]}atient,  in  meekness 
instructing  those  that  oppose  themselves. 

I  am  aware,  indeed,  that  gentleness  has  been  con- 
founded by  many  with  something  very  different,  and 
by  no  means  laudable.  It  has  been  considered  and 
despised,  as  that  tame,  passive  spirit,  which  knows 
not  how  to  deny  the  most  unreasonable  request,  or 
to  resist  the  most  unjust  encroachment.  There  can- 
not, however,  be  a  greater  mistake.  Some  of  the 
firmest  men  in  the  maintenance  of  their  own  princi- 
ples that  I  have  ever  seen,  were  remarkable  for  the 
mildness  and  gentleness  of  their  manners.  Perhaps 
it  may  even  be  said,  that  those  who  have  been  most 
distinguished  for  the  exercise  of  courage,  as  a  moral 
quality,  have  been,  at  the  same  time,  the  most  signal 
examples  of  bland  and  accommodating  deportment 
"  True  gentleness,"  says  one,  "  is  to  be  carefully  dis- 
tinguished from  the  mean  spirit  of  cowards,  and  the 
fawning  assent  of  sycophants.  It  renounces  no  just 
right  from  fear;  it  gives  up  no  important  truth  from 
flattery.  It  is,  indeed,  not  only  consistent  with  a 
firm  mind,  but  it  necessarily  requires  a  manly  spirit, 
and  a  fixed  principle,  in  order  to  give  it  any  real  va- 
lue. It  stands  opposed  to  harshness  and  severity,  to 
pride  and  arrogance,  to  violence  and  oppression.  It 
is  properly  the  manifestation  of  that  part  of  charity 
which  makes  us  unwilling  to  give  pain  to  any  of  our 


GENERAL  CHARACTERISTICS.  39 

brethren.  Compassion  prompts  us  to  relieve  their 
wants:  forbearance  prevents  us  from  retaliating  their 
injuries:  meekness  restrains  our  angry  passions:  can- 
tlour  our  severe  judgments:  but  gentleness  corrects 
whatever  is  offensive  in  our  manners;  and  by  a  con- 
stant train  of  humane  attentions,  studies  to  alleviate 
the  burden  of  human  misery." 

A  conscientious  man,  who  is  habitually  intent  on  do- 
ing good,  will  find  occasion  almost  every  hour  that  he 
spends  in  company,  for  the  exercise  of  this  invaluable 
spirit,  and  the  deportment  to  which  it  prompts.  The 
occasions  are  extremely  few  in  the  walks  of  social 
intercourse,  in  which  a  blunt,  rough,  or  authoritative 
manner,  is  either  proper  or  profitable.  Whereas,  by 
a  soft  answer  we  may  turn  away  wrath;  by  a  mild, 
respectful  address,  we  may  at  once  reprove  imperti- 
nence, disarm  violence,  and  even  put  brutality  to 
shame.  By  making  a  point  of  accosting  all  whom 
we  approach  with  tones  as  well  as  expressions  of  a 
kindly  and  conciliatory  character,  we  may  often  open 
a  way  for  the  reception  of  truth  into  minds  which 
might  have  been  otherwise  invincibly  closed  against 
it.  Learn,  then,  the  happy  art  of  conversing  with 
gentleness,  of  giving  your  commands  with  gentle- 
ness, of  arguing  with  gentleness,  of  contending  with 
gentleness,  of  even  reproving  with  gentleness,  that 
is,  of  guarding  against  every  thing  harsh,  passionate, 
or  boisterous  in  your  mode  of  administering  reproof. 
Nay,  do  not  think  it  strange  if  I  go  further  still,  and 
recommend  that  you  cultivate  gentleness  in  all  your 
actions  and  movements;  in  walking;  in  changing 
your  place  in  the  parlour;  in  opening  and  shutting 
doors,  and  in  all  similar  actions.     There  is  more  dig- 


40  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

nity  in  this  mode  of  conducting  our  movements  than 
in  any  other.  There  is  also  more  safety;  for  a  very 
large  part  of  the  casualties  by  which  our  persons  are 
injured,  are,  doubtless,  induced  by  the  want  of  gen- 
tleness. Can  it  be  considered  as  becoming  to  see  a 
grave  divine  skipping  about  with  the  impetuosity  af 
a  boy;  slamming  doors  as  if  in  a  passion;  jerking 
chairs  and  other  moveables,  Avhich  he  may  have  oc- 
casion to  handle,  as  if  snatching  them  from  robbers; 
or  passing  along  the  streets  with  that  kind  of  mili- 
tary air  and  rapid  step,  which  might  be  expected  in 
one  w^ho  was  walking  for  a  wager  ? 

3.  Condescension.  If  you  live  to  be  a  minister, 
a  large  part  of  your  social  and  professional  inter- 
course will  be  with  those  wha,  according  to  popular 
language,  are  your  inferiors.  To  the  poor,  the  de- 
serted, the  friendless,  the  afflicted; — to  these,  if  you 
possess  the  spirit  of  Christ,  your  attention  will  be 
incessant  and  unwearied.  It  is,  therefore,  of  peculiar 
importance  that  you  acquire  the  art  of  treating  such 
persons  in  a  manner  best  adapted  to  sooth  their  feel- 
ings, inspire  their  confidence,  and  win  their  affec- 
tions. This  can  be  done  only  by  habits  of  conde- 
scension; that  is,  laying  aside  every  thing  like  an  air 
of  haughtiness  or  superiority,  and  addressing  them 
in  the  tones  and  language  of  benevolent  respect. 
Guard  against  reminding  them  continually,  by  your 
looks  and  expressions,  tliat  you  consider  them  as  be- 
neath you.  Go  to  their  dwellings  as  a  friend  and 
comforter.  Listen  with  patient  attention  to  their 
complaints  and  requests.  Manifest — what  you  ought 
undoubtedly  to  feel — a  readiness  to  serve  them  to  the 
utmost  of  your  power.    Remember  that  your  Master, 


GENERAL  CHARACTERISTICS.  41 

while  upon  earth,  was  peculiarly  attentive  to  the  in- 
digent and  the  miserable;  and  that  the  most  tender 
and  condescending  language  that  ever  escaped  from 
his  lips,  was  addressed  to  such  persons,  or  had  a  re- 
ference to  them. 

Let  me  entreat  you  not  only  to  manifest  quite  as 
much  alacrity  in  finding  out  the  hovel  of  poverty, 
and  the  couch  of  suffering,  as  the  mansion  of  the 
rich,  and  the  table  of  feasting;  but  also,  when  you 
have  found  the  abode  of  penury  and  affliction,  to 
enter  it  in  the  kindliest  manner;  to  accost  every 
member  of  the  humble  circle  with  Christian  respect 
and  sympathy;  to  seat  yourself  by  the  bedside  of  the 
sick  and  dying  with  affectionate  benevolencej  to  pour 
the  light  of  instruction,  and  the  oil  of  consolation 
into  their  minds  with  tenderness  and  patience;  and 
to  accommodate  yourself,  as  your  Master  would  have 
done,  to  all  their  wants,  and  ignorance,  and  darkness, 
and  doubts,  and  trials.  Receive  their  civilities  with 
thanks.  Accept  of  their  homeliest  fare  with  cor- 
diality. And  study  to  convince  them,  by  every  pro- 
per method,  that  you  heartily  wish  them  well,  and 
are  ready  to  do  them  good.  Need  I  say,  that  such 
things  are  grateful  to  them  to  a  degree  not  easily  ex- 
pressed .'  One  of  the  most  excellent  ministers  I  ever 
knew;  a  man  of  refinement  and  polish,  as  well  as  of 
ardent  piet)^,  exceeded  most  of  my  clerical  acquaint- 
ance in  his  incessant  attentions  to  the  poor.  He 
would  go  to  the  houses  of  the  meanest  and  poorest, 
with  an  ease  and  freedom  truly  exemplary;  would 
seat  himself  on  a  broken  stool  or  block  of  wood, 
and  appear  to  enjoy  himself  as  if  he  were  in  the  most 
convenient  parlour;  and  would,  with  a  singular  feli- 


42  LETTERS  ON   CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

city  of  manner,  place  those  whom  he  addressed  just 
as  much  at  ease,  as  if  they  were  conversing  with  an 
equal.  It  was  in  reference  to  him  that  a  poor  but 
eminently  pious  old  woman  said — "  0,  sir,  you  can- 
not think  how  kind  and  good  he  is.  He^s  not  a  bit 
of  a  gentleman.  He  comes  in,  and  sits  down  in 
my  poor  place  here,  just  as  if  he  had  been  used  to 
being  with  the  like  of  me  all  his  days."  Though 
I  knew  the  venerable  man  to  be  a  real  and  uncom- 
monly well-bred  gentleman,  1  was  particularly  struck 
with  the  old  woman's  significant  language — "  He^s 
not  a  bit  of  a  gentleman;"  and  thought  it  one  of 
the  highest  compliments  she  could  pay  him.  She 
had,  no  doubt,  been  accustomed  to  associate,  in  her 
own  mind,  that  title  with  manners  of  the  supercilious, 
revolting  kind.  An  association  to  which,  I  am  sorry 
to  say,  the  manners  of  many,  who  would  be  thought 
real  gentlemen,  give  too  much  countenance. 

4.  Affability.  This  quality  of  manners  is  allied 
'to  the  last  mentioned  characteristic,  but  still  it  is 
not  the  same.  An  affable  man,  is  one  who  may  be 
approached  and  accosted  without  embarrassment  or 
difficulty.  One  who  has  the  happy  talent  of  conver- 
sing pleasantly  and  courteously,  and  of  placing  every 
one  in  conversation  with  him  perfectly  at  his  ease. 
The  opposites  of  this  quality  are  coldness,  haughti- 
ness, habits  of  taciturnity,  arising  from  whatever 
cause,  and,  in  short,  every  thing  in  manner  that  is 
adapted  to  repel,  or  to  prevent  freedom  and  comfort 
of  approach.  On  the  other  hand,  the  dispositions 
which  lead  to  affability  of  manner,  are  good  nature, 
benevolence,  and  that  habitual  kindness  of  feeling, 
which  rejoices  in  the  welfare  of  all,  and  especially  of 


GENERAL  CHARACTERISTICS.  43 

those  who  look  to  us  for  instruction,  counsel,  or  any 
other  benefit. 

Now  it  is  manifest  that  all  classes  of  men,  and 
especially  of  those  who  are  commonly  called  profes- 
sional men,  would  find  great  advantage  in  cultivating 
the  affability  of  which  I  speak.  In  fact  its  advantages 
in  conciliating  public  favour,  and  in  facilitating  social 
intercourse,  are  incalculable.  But  to  the  minister 
of  the  gospel,  the  importance  of  this  social  quality 
is  peculiar.  A  physician  or  lawyer  may  be  remark- 
ably deficient  in  affability,  and  yet  his  professional 
reputation  and  even  usefulness  may  sustain  no  mate- 
rial drawback  on  this  account.  But  when  a  minister 
of  the  gospel  is  thus  deficient,  it  may  be  maintained 
that  his  usefulness  cannot  fail  of  being,  in  all  cases, 
proj)ortionably  diminished.  He  is  not  only  called  to 
visit  "from  house  to  house;"  to  address  all  classes  of 
persons  on  the  most  important  of  all  subjects;  and  to 
study  to  gain  access  to  the  minds  of  the  high  and  the 
low,  the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  learned  and  the  igno- 
rant; but  all  descriptions  of  persons  are  in  the  habit 
of  resorting  to  him,  in  private  as  well  as  in  public, 
for  counsel  and  aid.  The  perplexed,  the  doubting, 
the  timid,  the  feeble-minded,  the  tempted,  the  despon- 
ding, are  all,  it  may  be,  in  succession,  seeking  in  him 
a  counsellor  and  guide.  How  unhappy,  when  his 
personal  manners  are  such  as  to  repel  and  discourage! 
How  unhappy,  nay,  in  some  cases,  how  fatal  to  the 
eternal  interests  of  men,  when,  instead  of  a  manner 
which  invites  confidence,  and  inspires  freedom  of 
communication,  the  ambassador  of  Christ,  by  his  re- 
pulsive mode  of  address, as  it  were"breaks  the  bruised 
reed,"  "quenches  the  smoking  flax,"  or  so  completely 


44  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

chills  and  discourages  the  anxious  inquirer,  as  to  deter 
him  from  ever  making  a  second  visit!  It  is  manifest,^ 
then,  that  by  a  remarkable  deficiency  in  the  quality 
under  consideration,  ministers  will  not  only  lose  much 
in  regard  to  public  favour  and  acceptance;  but  what 
is  infinitely  more  important,  by  this  deficiency,  they 
may  be  the  means  of  repelling  from  the  church  of 
God  many  a  soul  who  was  on  the  road  to  salvation, 
and  who,  but  for  this  cause,  might,  humanly  speaking, 
have  reached  the  blessed  goal. 

Say  not  that  an  affable  man,  like  a  poet,  must  be 
born,  but  cannot  be  made.  That  constitutional  tem- 
perament has,  in  many  cases,  much  to  do  with  this 
thing,  is  not  denied.  But  it  is  utterly  denied  that 
the  faculty  of  which  I  speak  is  beyond  the  reach 
of  successful  cultivation.  Only  lay  to  heart  the 
importance  of  the  attainment,  and  strive  and  pray  to 
be  enabled  to  make  it,  and  your  labour  will  not  be  in 
vain.  But  there  may  be  a  mistake  here.  In  attempt- 
ing to  be  affable,  be  not  fawning.  In  endeavouring 
to  invite  freedom  and  confidence,  do  not  break  down 
the  barriers  of  the  most  perfect  mutual  respect. 
For,  in  order  to  form  a  complete  finish  in  clerical 
manners,  there  must  be  a  proper  attention  to  that 
respect  which  is  due  to  the  man,  and  his  office,  as  well 
as  that  which  is  due  to  those  with  whom  he  converses. 

5.  Reserve.  By  which  I  mean,  not  the  opposite 
of  frankness;  but  a  manner  standing  opposed  to 
excessive  and  unseasonable  communicativeness. 
This  is  in  no  respect  inconsistent  with  any  thing 
which  has  been  already  recommended.  The  most 
attractive  affability  is  not  only  quite  reconcileable 
with  a  delicate  and  wise  reserve;  but  really  requires 


GENERAL  CHARACTERISTICS.  45 

it,  and  cannot  be  of  the  best  character  without  it. 
There  are  many  subjects  on  which  a  minister  of  the 
gospel  ought  not  to  allow  himself,  in  ordinary  cases, 
to  talk  with  freedom,  if  at  all;  and,  of  course,  con- 
cerning which,  when  they  are  introduced,  lie  ought 
generally  to  exercise  a  strict  reserve.  Every  wise 
man  will  see  at  once  the  reasons,  and  the  importance 
of  this  counsel:  especially  in  reference  to  one  who 
bears  so  many  interesting  relations  to  those  around 
him  as  a  minister  of  religion.  He  ought  certainly  to 
be  affable.  But  if  by  this  he  should  understand  to 
be  meant,  that  he  ought  to  talk  freely,  at  all  times,  to 
all  classes  of  people,  and  on  all  subjects,  which  the 
idle,  the  meddling,  the  impertinent,  or  the  malignant 
may  choose  to  introduce,  he  would  soon  find  to  his 
cost  that  he  had  totally  misapprehended  the  matter. 
Affability  is  good — is  important;  but  incessant  and 
indiscriminate  talkativeness,  will  soon  reduce  in  pub- 
lic esteem,  and  entangle  in  real  difficulties,  the  official 
man  who  allows  himself  to  indulge  it. 

There  are  many  points  concerning  which  every 
man  who  wishes  to  hold  a  respectable  standing  in 
society,  ought  to  exercise  habitual  reserve;  but  con- 
cerning which  it  is  peculiarly  important  that  minis- 
ters do  so.  A  complete  catalogue  of  them  cannot  be 
given;  but  good  sense  and  prudence  will  enable  you, 
for  the  most  part,  to  see  what  ought  to  be  considered 
as  belonging  to  the  list.  You  can  be  at  no  loss,  how- 
ever, to  decide,  that — the  private  affairs  of  your 
neighbours; — the  characters,  plans,  and  conduct  of 
the  absent; — questions  which  implicate  the  princi- 
ples and  views  of  other  religious  denominations; — 
the  conflicts  of  party  politicians; — your  own  pri- 


46  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

vate  concerns; — i\\e  petty  scandal  oi  the  neighbour- 
hood;— what  others  have  communicated  to  you,  in 
reference  to  delicate  subjects,  whether  under  the  in- 
junction of  secrecy  or  not; — your  o/?meo^i5  concerning 
the  passing  events  and  persons  of  the  day,  unless  in 
very  clear  and  special  cases;  on  all  these  and  similar 
subjects,  if  you  are  wise  you  will  exercise  much  re- 
serve;— nay  you  will  seldom  allow  yourself  to  con- 
verse at  all,  even  when  all  around  you  are  chattering 
about  them.     You  can  seldom  do  any  good  by  talking 
on  such  subjects,     "  Let  the  dead  bury  their  dead." 
Your  time  and  breath  ought  to  be  devoted  to  the 
discussion  of  subjects  by  which  you  will  be  likely  to 
benefit  yourself  and  others,  and  by  which  you  will  not 
be  liable  to  be  implicated  in  any  difficulty  hereafter. 
It  is  the  part  of  wisdom  also  to  exercise  much  re- 
serve as  to  the  article  of  giving  advice.     It  is  not 
uncommon  for  your  sanguine,  precipitate  men  to  give 
advice,  even  unasked;  and  to  give  it  on  all  occasions, 
freely,  when  only  slightly  or  indirectly  solicited,  and 
when,  perhaps,  they  have   a   very    imperfect,    and 
altogether  e.r-/;«r/e    knowledge  of  facts.      This   is 
never  discreet.     A  truly  benevolent  man  ought  not 
to  be,  and  will  not  be  unwilling  to  incur  the  respon- 
sibility of  giving  advice,  when  he  sees  his  way  clear 
to  do  so,  and  when  there  is  a  probability  of  good 
being  done  by  it.     But  to  incur  this  responsibility, 
needlessly,  with  small  information  on  the  subject,  and 
when  there  is  but  little  hope  of  doing  good,  is  both 
weak  and  rash.     Many  a  man  in  a  public  station  has 
greatly  impaired  his  influence  by  a  few  instances  of 
such  indiscretion.     In  very  many  cases  solicitations 
for  advice,  while  they  are  kindly  received,  and  re- 


GENERAL  CHARACTERISTICS,  47 

spectfully  treated,  ought  to  be  denied  altogether.  In 
many  other  cases,  all  that  ought  to  he  done  is  to  state 
the  p7'os  and  cons  in  the  most  impartial  and  luminous 
manner  that  we  can,  and  having  done  so,  to  leave  the 
individual  to  select  his  own  course  of  conduct. 

But  it  is  not  enough  that  a  minister  himself  exer- 
cise this  prudent  reserve,  both  in  private  and  public. 
If  he  have  ^family,  it  will  be  necessary  to  inculcate 
upon  every  member  of  it,  as  far  as  possible,  the  ex- 
ercise of  the  same  caution.  My  opinion  is,  that  the 
wives  and  children  of  ministers  ought  seldom  to  allow 
themselves  to  speak  of  the  opinions,  plans  and  move- 
ments of  their  husbands  or  fathers.  In  a  great  majo- 
rity of  cases,  perhaps,  this  may  be  done  without  the 
least  ill  consequence;  but  when  they  least  apprehend 
evil  from  such  communications,  it  may  be  most 
seriously  the  result.  Nor  can  it  ever  be  certainly 
known  when  such  evil  may  arise.  It  is  obvious, 
therefore,  that,  in  this  matter,  reserve  ought  to  be 
unceasing  and  vigilant. 

6.  Uniformity .  The  importance  of  this  charac- 
teristic of  clerical  manners,  is  much  greater  than 
would,  at  first  view,  appear.  Few  things  have  a  more 
unfriendly  influence  on  our  acceptance  in  social  inter- 
course than  the  opposite  of  what  I  now  recommend. 
To  be  at  one  time  pointedly  respectful  and  affable, 
and,  at  another,  to  the  same  individual,  so  cold  and 
ungracious  as  to  surprise  and  repel:  to  treat  an  ac- 
quaintance to-day  with  a  degree  of  attention  and 
kindness  bordering  on  excess,  and  little  short  of 
fawning;  and  to-morrow  scarcely  to  recognise  him  at 
all,  or  to  pass  him  with  the  most  frigid  indifference, 
is  a  style  of  deportment,  which,  though  sometimes 


48  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

seen  in  excellent  men,  is  always  unhappy,  and  often 
in  no  small  degree  mischievous  in  its  influences  on 
social  comfort.  This  apparent  caprice  arises  from 
various  sources;  sometimes  from  an  actual  defect  of 
eyesight;  at  others  from  strange  and  fitful  anomalies 
of  memory,  of  which  I  have  known  many  examples; 
perhaps  still  more  frequently  from  those  revolutions 
in  feeling,  which  are  occasioned  by  a  nervous  system 
liable  to  the  alternate  extremes  of  elevation  and  de- 
pression: from  occasional  fits  of  absence  of  mind; 
and,  possibly  now  and  then,  from  an  affectation  of 
eccentricity,  which,  however  unworthy  of  a  man  of 
sense  and  piety,  has  actually  been  manifested  by  those 
who  claimed  to  possess  both. 

Now,  though  several  of  these  sources  of  apparently 
capricious  manners  may  not  at  all  times  admit  of  a 
perfect  remedy;  yet  more  than  one  of  them  may  be 
counteracted  with  entire  success;  and  with  respect  to 
all  of  them  much  may  be  done  to  diminish  their  in- 
fluence. The  great  secret  of  correction  lies  in  one 
word — ATTENTION. — Try  to  learn  the  happy  art  of 
attending  to  each  case  as  it  arises,  as  being  always  of 
more  or  less  importance,  if  not  for  its  own  sake,  at 
least  in  reference  to  the  formation  of  a  suitable  habit; 
and  I  have  no  doubt  you  will  soon  be  surprised  to 
perceive  the  degree  of  success  that  has  attended  your 
efforts. 

But  there  is  one  method  of  obviating,  to  a  certain 
extent,  the  evil  under  consideration,  which,  perhaps, 
may  not  so  readily  occur  to  every  one,  and  especially 
not  to  every  young  man.  I  refer  to  that  important 
point  in  the  manners  of  all  public  men,  viz.  the  wis- 
dom of  not  being  "  over  civil,"  or  excessive  in  your 


GENERAL  CHARACTERISTICS.  49 

polite  attentions  to  any  one.  I  have  known  minis- 
ters, as  well  as  otlicrs,  who  have  been  really  lavish 
in  their  civilities  to  a  few  individuals  among  their 
friends  and  neighbours;  so  much  so  as  to  attract  par- 
ticular notice;  while  otiiers,  equally,  or  perhaps  more 
worthy,  but  less  conspicuous,  they  have  scarcely 
treated  with  common  decorum.  Their  coldness  to  the 
latter,  would  not  have  been  so  observable,  had  it  not 
contrasted  with  their  extreme  civility  to  the  former. 
Diversities  of  this  kind  ought  to  be  as  much  as  possible 
avoided;  and  the  correction  ought  to  be  applied  to 
both  extremes.  It  is  never  wise  for  a  minister  to  be 
so  excessively  intimate,  so  inordinately  friendly  with 
any  particular  individual,  or  individuals,  among  his 
people,  as  to  become  a  subject  of  remark,  or  to  em- 
barrass him  in  his  intercourse  with  others.  Nequid 
nimis,  is  an  invaluable  maxim,  in  its  application  to 
clerical  intimacies  and  civilities,  as  well  as  to  a  thou- 
sand other  things.  Those  which  are  carried  to  ex- 
cess, seldom  last  long,  or  end  well.  The  most  truly 
judicious  and  generally  acccjitable  public  men  I  have 
ever  known,  were  remarkable  for  not  being  extremely 
civil  to  any,  even  to  those  whom  they  were  known 
most  highly  to  value;  but  for  that  moderate,  yet  vigi- 
lant attention  to  all,  which  was  by  no  means  incon- 
sistent with  special  friendships,  but  which  indicated 
a  desire  to  be  truly  useful  to  all  classes  of  persons. 

I  hope  you  will  not  be  disposed  to  say,  that  the 
foregoing  counsels  are  adapted  to  form  that  cold, 
selfish,  and  calculating  style  of  manners,  which  ought 
to  be  avoided,  rather  than  cultivated.  If  it  be  so,  I 
am  egregiously  deceived.  Let  me  entreat  you  to  go 
over  every  item  again,  carefully,  and  see  whether 

£ 


50  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

wisdom,  prudence,  and  the  word  of  God  do  not  sanc^ 
tion  them  all.  The  idea  that  the  manners  of  any  one 
ought  to  be  left  to  take  care  of  themselves,  is  a  mis- 
erable delusion.  As  long  as  we  are  bound,  every 
hour,  to  "  consider  our  ways,"  and,  "  whether  we  eat 
or  drink,  or  whatever  we  do,  to  do  all  to  the  glory 
of  God,"  it  will  be  incumbent  upon  persons,  of  all  ages 
and  stations,  to  endeavour  in  all  things,  even  the  mi- 
nutest, to  "  order  their  conversation  aright."  But 
for  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  who  stands  continually 
as  a  "  watchman,"  and  a  "  defender,"  on  "  the  walls 
of  Zion;"  and  who  is  acting  every  hour,  not  only  for 
himself,  but  also  for  the  church  of  God; — for  him  to 
doubt  whether  habitual  care  as  to  every  word,  and 
look,  and  action,  is  incumbent  on  him,  is  indeed, 
strangely  to  misapprehend  his  obligations. 

If  you  ask  me,  where  you  shall  find  a  model  of 
such  clerical  manners  as  I  have  endeavoured  to  de- 
scribe; I  answer.  No  where,  in  all  its  parts,  in  ab- 
solute perfection.  This,  however,  is  no  more  a 
reason  why  an  attempt  should  not  be  made  to  por- 
tray and  recommend  such  manners,  than  our  inability 
to  find  a  perfect  pattern  of  the  Christian  temper,  in 
any  mere  man,  is  a  reason  why  that  temper  should 
never  be  described  or  inculcated.  But  I  have  been 
so  happy  as  to  meet  with  a  few  examples  of  manners 
nearly  approximating  to  those  which  are  recommend- 
ed in  this  letter.  One  of  the  most  venerable  and 
excellent  clergymen  in  the  United  States,  has  re- 
marked, that  he  thought  some  of  the  more  polished 
and  pious  of  the  ministers  belonging  to  the  Mora- 
vians, or  United  Brethren,  furnished  specimens  of 
manners  as  worthy  of  imitation  as  any  he  had  ever 


J 


GENERAL  CHARACTEllISTICS.  51 

iseen.  In  this  opinion  1  am  inclined  to  concur.  I 
have  marked  in  a  few  of  those  worthy  men,  that 
luippy  union  of  gravity,  dignity,  gentleness,  and  un- 
afl'ectcd  kindness  of  deportment,  truly  rare,  and 
which  it  would  1)6  delightful  to  see  copied  hy  every 
minister  of  rcliaiion  in  the  land. 


LETTER    III. 


Giving  no  oflence  in  any  tiling,  that  the  ministry  be  not  blamed, 

2  Cor.  vi.  3, 


OFFENSIVE  PERSONAL  HABITS. 

My  dear  young  friend, 

There  are  many  personal  habits^  which  all  polish- 
ed people  concur  in  regarding  as  offensive;  and  which,, 
of  course,  cannot  be  indulged  in  the  presence  of  such 
persons,  without  giving  them  pain.  Sometimes,  in- 
deed, so  much  pain,  that,  after  a  while,  the  society  of 
those  who  habitually  indulge  in  them,  if  not  avoided 
altogether,  will  be  in  a  degree  unwelcome,  wherever 
they  go.  These  habits  are  painful  to  well-bred  per- 
sons on  various  accounts.  Some  of  them,  because 
they  are  offences  against  personal  cleanliness;  others, 
because  they  make  an  uncomfortable  impression,  in 
other  respects,  on  the  senses  of  those  with  whom  we 
converse;  and  a  third  class,  because  they  indicate  the 
absence  of  that  7'espect  and  attention  to  those  around, 
us,  which  every  man  of  correct  deportment  is  ex- 
pected to  pay,  and  which  he  never  omits  to  pay, 
without  incurring  a  serious  disadvantage. 

I  propose,  in  the  present  letter,  to  mention  some  of 
these  personal  habits.     And  let  me  entreat  you  not  ta 


OFFENSIVE  PERSONAL  HABITS.  53 

consider  me  as  unnecessarily  minute  or  fastidious  in 
my  enumeration.  Some  of  the  particulars  adverted 
to,  may  excite  a  smile,  and  others  a  less  comfortable 
emotion;  you  may  rest  assured,  however,  that  I  shall 
mention  none  but  such  as  I  know  to  be  offensive;  to 
many  persons  deeply  so;  and  to  have  been  remarked 
upon  with  a;rcat  severity.  This  is  enough  for  a  deli- 
cate, conscientious  man;  who  will  consider  no  correc- 
tion of  an  evil  habit  as  beneath  his  notice,  which  will 
give  him  more  ready  access  to  all  companies,  and 
render,  perhaps,  many  of  his  personal  efforts  to  do 
good  much  more  acceptable  and  useful. 

1.  Among  these  offensive  habits,  the  first  I  shall 
mention,  is  that  of  spitting  on  the  floors  and 
CARPETS,  of  the  apartments  in  which  you  are  seated. 
This  is  a  habit  with  which  Americans  are  constantly 
reproached  by  those  Europeans  who  travel  among 
us,  or  who  have  occasion  to  remark  on  our  national 
manners.  Nay,  a  late  writer  in  one  of  their  periodi- 
cal works,  pronounces,  that  "  the  Americans  must 
give  up  all  pretensions  to  good-breeding  as  long  as 
they  allow  themselves  to  spit  on  floors  and  carpets  in 
company,  as  is  now  common  among  them."  I  do 
not  allow  that  this  charge  can  be  said  by  any  means 
to  be  more  "  commonly"  applicable  to  the  better 
portion  of  Americans  than  of  Englishmen.  Still  I 
do  l>clieve  the  habit  in  question  is  more  "  common" 
among  the  plainer  classes  of  our  citizens,  than  it  is 
among  the  corresponding  classes  of  any  nation  on 
earth,  of  equal  culture,  in  other  respects,  with  our- 
selves. And,  truly,  a  habit  so  filthy,  so  peculiarly 
disgusting,  and  so  calculated  to  give  trouble  to  every 
neat  housekeeper,  may  well  be  regarded  as  equally 

E^ 


54  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

discreditable  to  the  breeding  and  the  benevolence  of 
those  who  allow  themselves  to  practise  it. 

I  have  known  some  persons  who,  in  consequence 
of  their  habitually  chewing  tobacco,  or  some  other 
substance,  or  smoking,  were  under  a  necessity  so 
constant  and  pressing  of  discharging  saliva  from  their 
mouths,  that  they  were  really  a  trouble  to  them- 
selves, as  well  as  to  every  body  else.  They  bespat- 
tered the  clothes  and  persons  of  all  who  were  sitting 
in  their  immediate  vicinity;  defiled  the  floor  or  carpet 
beyond  endurance;  and  thus  rendered  themselves  a 
nuisance  in  every  house  which  they  entered.  Indeed, 
I  have  known  a  few  tobacco-chewers,  in  whom  this 
habit  had  reached  such  a  degree  of  concentrated  viru- 
lence, that  they  rendered  their  immediate  neighbour- 
hood intolerable;  formed  puddles  of  tobacco-spittle  at 
their  feet,  in  the  parlour,  or  in  the  pew  in  church  in 
which  they  were  seated;  and,  in  some  instances,  even 
compelled  persons  of  delicate  feelings,  especially  fe- 
males, to  leave  the  room,  or  the  pew,  and  retire  in 
haste,  to  avoid  sickness  of  stomach. 

To  say  that  this  filthiness  is  very  indecent,  is  to 
speak  but  half  its  condemnation.  It  is  unworthy  of 
a  gentleman  and  a  Christian:  and  he  who,  after  being 
warned,  continues  to  indulge  it,  ought  to  be  banished, 
without  scruple,  from  all  decent  society. 

If  it  be  asked,  how  those  who  spit  much  shall 
manage;  I  answer,  if  possible,  let  them  instantly  dis- 
continue all  those  practices  which  lead  to  the  secre- 
tion of  an  excess  of  saliva.  This  is,  in  every  point 
of  view,  the  best  and  most  effectual  method  of  re- 
moving all  difficulty.  But  if  this  be  not  possible, 
then  let  such  persons,  when  they  go  into  company, 


OFFENSIVE  PERSONAL  HABITS.  55 

make  interest  with  their  kind  entertainers  to  furnish 
them  with  spitting-boxes;  or  let  them  endeavour  to 
sit  near  a  window;  or  let  them  rise  and  withdraw 
from  the  apartment  as  often  as  it  becomes  necessary 
to  discharge  the  contents  of  their  mouths;  or  let  them 
take  care  to  have  in  their  pockets  extra  handker- 
chiefs, which  may  be  employed  to  receive  the  super- 
fluous saliva; — or,  if  none  of  these  safeguards  or 
auxiliaries  can  be  had,  let  them  even — stay  at  home, 
and  thus  be  sure  that  they  trespass  on  no  premises  ex- 
cepting their  own.  Even  tliere,  indeed,  they  will 
annoy  and  disgust  all  who  visit  them:  but,  then,  this 
will  be  a  penalty  incurred  voluntarily,  and  endured 
only  as  long  as  each  individual  can  find  a  sufficient 
inducement  to  sustain  it.  For  I  have  certainly 
known  at  least  one  tobacco-chewing  clergyman  of 
whom  a  respectable  professor  of  religion  declared, 
"  that  he  would  most  cheerfully  pay  his  board  for  a 
week  or  more,  at  a  tavern,  or  at  any  other  place,  ra- 
ther than  endure  his  company  at  a  single  meal,  or  for 
one  evening,  in  his  own  dwelling."  How  melan- 
choly, that  a  minister  of  religion,  instead  of  being  a 
pattern  of  neatness  and  purity,  and  possessing  such 
manners  as  to  render  his  company  attractive  to  all 
classes  of  people;  should  allow  himself,  by  his  per- 
sonal habits,  to  drive  all  cleanly  and  delicate  persons 
from  his  presence! 

Imagine  not,  however,  that  it  is  merely  against 
this  miserable  extreme  of  the  filthy  habit  in  question, 
that  I  protest.  It  is  against  every  degree  of  it  that 
I  would  warn  you.  Rather  than  once  allow  your- 
self, on  any  occasion,  to  spit  on  the  floor  in  com- 
pany, you  ought  to  walk  a  hundred  yards,  or  more. 


56  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

to  find  a  door  or  window,  or  to  submit  to  almost  any 
ordinary  inconvenience.  In  fact,  to  go  to  the  root 
of  the  evil,  the  habit  of  spitting  much  at  all,  is  a 
bad  habit;  and  any  thing  which  tends  to  the  creation, 
and,  of  course,  to  the  necessity  of  discharging  much 
saliva,  ought  to  be,  by  all  young  persons,  who  are 
forming  tlieir  manners,  carefully  avoided.  And 
scarcely  any  thing,  let  me  add,  admits  of  being  placed, 
and  kept,  more  fully  under  the  influence  of  the  will, 
in  ordinary  circumstances,  than  this. 

2.  Another  oifensive  habit,  closely  connected  with 
the  foregoing,  against  which   I   would  warn  you,  is 

the  EXCESSIVE  USE  OF  TOBACCO,  IN  ANY  FORM.       I  do 

not  deny  that  chewing,  smoking,  and  smiffing  to- 
bacco, within  certain  limits,  may  be  considered  as 
quite  consistent  with  the  habits  of  gentlemen;  be- 
cause many  gentlemen  practise  them;  and  some  who 
practise  more  than  one,  or  all  of  them,  even  to  a  de- 
gree of  excess,  yet,  from  their  great  personal  neat- 
ness, and  constant  attention  to  appearances,  have  still 
avoided  becoming,  in  any  considerable  degree,  offen- 
sive to  those  around  them.  Such  instances,  however, 
are  rare.  At  any  rate,  nothing  is  more  common  than 
the  reverse;  and  the  cases  are  so  numerous  in  which 
the  consumers  of  this  hateful  weed  become  a  source 
of  inconvenience  to  all  with  whom  they  associate; 
that  even  the  ordinary  use  of  it  ought  to  be  regarded 
with  apprehension,  b}^  those  who  would  escape  the 
excess  to  which  others  have  become  victims. 

You  ought  to  be  aware,  my  young  freind,  that  no 
class  of  persons  are  more  apt  to  fall  into  excess  in 
the  use  of  tobacco,  in  every  way,  than  students;  and 
no  class  of  students,  perhaps,  more  remarkably  than 


OFFENSIVE  PERSONAL  HABITS.  57 

those  who  are  devoted  to  the  study  of  Theology. 
Whether  their  sedentary  habits,  and  especially  their 
habits  of  stated  composition,  form  the  peculiar  tempt- 
ation by  which  so  many  of  them  are  unhappily  be- 
guiled, I  know  not:  but  it  has  fallen  to  my  lot  to 
know  a  very  large  number  of  ministers,  young  and 
old,  who  by  excessive  smoking,  chewing,  or  snuffing, 
have  deranged  the  tone  of  their  stomachs ;  have  un- 
dermined their  health  ;  have  seriously  injured  their 
voices  ;  have  had  the  fumes  of  tobacco  so  thoroughly 
inwrought  in  their  persons  and  clothing,  that  it  be- 
came impossible  for  many  delicate  people  to  sit  near 
them  with  impunity  ;  and  have  laid  themselves,  after 
a  while,  under  so  absolute  a  necessity  of  smoking,  or 
chewing  incessantly,  that  they  have  been  obliged 
to  withdraw  from  company,  or  from  the  most  urgent 
business,  and  even  to  break  off  in  the  midst  of  a  meal, 
and  retire  to  smoke,  or  else  run  the  risk  of  a  severe 
affection  of  the  stomach. 

In  vain  do  you  remind  such  people,  when  they 
are  young,  and  when  their  habits  are  forming,  that  the 
use  of  tobacco  is,  in  most  cases,  unhealthful,  and  in 
many,  extremely  so  ;  that  if  they  use  it  at  all,  they  are 
in  danger  of  being  betrayed  into  excess,  in  spite  of 
every  resolution  to  the  contrary. — In  vain  do  you 
remind  them  that  many  persons,  of  both  sexes,  can- 
not bear  either  the  smoke  or  the  perfume  of  tobacco, 
and,  of  course  must  be  driven  from  the  room,  if  not 
from  the  house,  in  which  this  offensive  practice  is 
going  forward  ;  that,  like  tipj)ling,  one  degree  of  ex- 
cess in  this  indulgence,  leads  to  another,  until  a  sort 
of  necessity  of  continuing  it  is  incurred;  that  habits 
of  smoking  and  chewing,  especially  the  former,  will 


58  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS, 

render  them  intolerable  inmates  in  many  families;  and 
that  by  the  excessive  use  of  tobacco,  more  particularly 
in  the  form  of  segars,  thousands  have  been  insensibly 
betrayed  into  habits  of  drinking,  and  have  become 
confirmed  sots,  before  they  were  aware  of  being  in 
the  least  danger: — I  say,  in  vain  do  you  remind  many 
young  men,  and  even  pious  young  men,  who  are  com- 
mencing such  habits,  of  these  dangers.  In  vain  do 
you  hold  up  to  their  view  particular  cases,  as  exam- 
ples of  all  that  you  say.  They  will  not  believe  you. 
They  are  in  no  danger.  Others  may  have  insensibly 
fallen  into  excess,  and  become  offensive  ;  but  they 
never  will.  Onward  they  go,  with  inflexible  self- 
will,  "as  an  ox  goeth  to  the  slaughter,"  resolving  to 
follow  appetite  at  all  hazards,  until  some  of  them 
become  themselves  fearful  examples  of  the  evils 
against  which  they  were  warned  ! 

I  have  already  hinted  at  one  of  the  dangers  arising 
from  the  exorbitant  use  of  tobacco,  which  very  many, 
even  after  being  put  on  their  guard,  cannot  be  per- 
suaded to  appreciate.  I  mean  the  tendency  of  the 
segar  to  generate  a  fondness  for  intemperate  drink- 
ing. He  whose  mouth  and  fauces  are  frequently 
and  strongly  stimulated  by  the  fumes  of  tobacco,  is 
apt  to  be  thirsty  ;  and  to  such  an  one,  simple  water  is 
insipid,  and  scarcely  tolerable.  Something  stronger 
is,  of  course,  sought  after.  And  hence  it  so  often  hap- 
pens, that  habits  of  disgraceful,  and  finally  of  ruinous 
tippling,  sjrow  out  of  the  excessive  use  of  the  segar. 

The  truth  is,  no  man,  especially  no  young  man, 

OUGHT  EVER  TO  USE  TOBACCO  IN  ANY  SHAPE,  who 

can  possibly  avoid  it ;  that  is,  who  does  not  find 
himself  reduced  to  the  same  necessity  of  taking  it, 


OPPENSIVE  PERSONAL  HABITS.  59 

as  a  medicine,  that  he  is,  now  and  then,  of  taking 
Diiritalis,  Opium  or  Calomel ;  in  which  case,  in- 
stead of  allowing  himself  to  contract  a  fondness  for 
the  article,  and  living  upon  it  daily,  a  wise  man  will 
take  it,  as  he  would  the  most  nauseous  medicine,  in 
as  small  quantities,  and  as  seldom,  as  possible.  I  be- 
seech you,  my  young  Friend,  not  to  disregard  this 
advice.  Rely  on  it,  if  you  are  so  happy  as  to  escape 
the  thraldrom  which  the  odious  vegetable  in  question 
has  imposed  upon  millions,  you  will  rejoice  in  it  as 
long  as  you  live.  But  you  probably  will  not  escape, 
unless  you  renounce  the  use  of  the  article  entirely. 
If  the  most  servile  votary  of  the  segar,  the  quid,  or 
the  snuffbox,  could  take  even  a  cursory  glance  at  the 
ruined  health  ;  the  trembling  nerves  ;  the  impaired 
mental  faculties  ;  the  miserable  tippling  habits  ;  the 
disgraceful  slavery  ;  and  the  revolting  fume,  to  which 
they  have  insensibly  conducted  many  an  unsuspec- 
ting devotee,  he  would  fly  with  horror  before  even 
the  possible  approaches  of  the  danger. 

3  Another  habit  which  every  friend  to  the  honour 
of  religion,  and  to  human  happiness,  ought  to  avoid 
with   the  utmost  care,  is,  that  of  indulging  in  the 

HABITUAL  USE   OF  ARDENT  SPIRITS. 

The  habit  of  which  I  now  speak  is  not  that  of 
intemperate  drinking.  This  is  a  sin  so  unquestion- 
able and  degrading,  so  destructive  of  health,  of  repu- 
tation, and  of  all  that  is  good,  that  no  argument  can 
be  necessary  to  convince  a  professing  Christian,  and 
especially  a  candidate  for  the  holy  riiinistry,  that 
every  approach  to  it  ought  to  be  regarded  with  ab- 
horrence. And  I  have  no  doubt  that  every  manifest 
and  known  approach  to  it,  will  be  su  regarded  by 


60  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

every  conscientious  man.  But  there  are  approaches 
to  this  sin  so  remote  and  insensible,  that  thousands 
are  drawn  into  them  without  the  smallest  apprehen- 
sion of  danger;  and  it  is  not,  perhaps,  until  it  is  too 
late  to  apply  any  human  remedy,  that  their  fears 
begin  to  be  excited.  Happy  is  he  who  sees  the  evil 
afar  off,  and  is  wise  enough  to  escape  from  every 
measure  of  its  influence. 

Let  me  say,  then,  that  the  young  man  who  is  in 
the  habit  of  taking  any  portion  of  ardent  spirits, 
even  if  it  be  ever  so  small,  is  in  an  extremely  perilous 
habit,  from  w^hich  there  is  a  high  degree  of  proba- 
bility that  he  will  not  escape  with  impunity.  Nay, 
one  of  the  most  enlightened  observers  our  country 
ever  produced,  the  venerable  President  Dwight,  has 
said,  that  "  the  man  who  drinks  spirits  regularly, 
ought  to  consider  himself  as  having  already  entered 
the  path  which  leads  to  habitual  intemperance." 
Nothing  is  more  insidious  than  the  love  of  this 
stimulus;  nothing  more  apt  to  gain  on  the  appetite 
without  being  at  all  suspected  by  him  who  is  most 
interested  in  the  fact;  no  indulgence  more  frequently 
found  to  increase  in  its  endless  cravings  with  every 
day's  indulgence.  So  that  many  a  man  deemed  per- 
fectly sober,  by  himself,  and  by  all  his  acquaintances; 
nay,  many  a  conscientious  man,  before  he  was  aware, 
has  found  the  practice  of  daily  taking  a  small  quan- 
tity of  spirits,  gradually  extending  its  claims  and  its 
power,  until  he  was  no  longer  able  to  resist,  and 
became  the  slave  of  gross  intemperance. 

My  firm  pei'suasion  is,  that,  in  general,  no  one  who 
is  in  health,  ought  ever,  as  a  system,  to  drink  any 
thing  stronger  than  water.     It  is  the  most  natural, 


OFFENSIVE  PERSONAL  HABITS.  61 

the  most  salubrious,  and,  in  all  respects,  the  best 
drink.  The  cases  of  the  most  robust  and  ruddy 
health  that  I  have  ever  seen,  have  been  those  of  per- 
vsons  who  drank  nothing  but  water.  Among  the  old 
Romans,  in  the  purest  and  simplest  periods  of  theij- 
republic,  no  man  was  allowed  to  drink  any  kind  of 
strong  drink,  until  he  had  attained  the  age  of  thirty 
years.  And  if  I  could  prevail  upon  every  young 
man  to  act  rigidly  upon  this  plan,  putting  every 
thing  out  of  view  excepting  his  bodily  health,  and 
his  interest  for  the  present  life,  I  should  consider 
myself  as  gaining  a  most  desirable  object. 

He  who  drinks  nothing  but  water,  has  but  little 
temptation  to  drink  at  all  more  frequently  than  he 
ought.  Yet  it  is  very  possible  to  take  too  frequently 
and  too  much,  even  of  this  simple  beverage.  I  have 
known  some  individuals,  chiefly  students,  who  un- 
happily contracted  the  habit  of  requiring  something 
to  moisten  their  lips  every  half  hour,  or  oftener;  and 
even  in  the  pulpit,  they  could  never  get  through  a 
discourse  of  ordinary  length,  without  taking  repeated 
sips  of  water.  This  is  not  only  a  habit  troublesome 
to  others,  as  well  as  ourselves;  but  it  is  multiplying 
our  wants;  it  is  rendering  the  lips  and  fauces  more 
apt  to  become  parched,  on  the  slightest  use  of  them; 
thus  increasing  the  inconvenience  which  it  is  intended 
to  remedy;  and  constantly  spreading  a  snare  before 
the  individual,  to  cra.ve  something  less  innocent  when 
water  of  a  good  quality  is  not  to  be  procured. 

I  would  say,  then,  to  every  one  who  is  forming 
his  habits  in  this  respect, — Let  your  plan  be  to  drink 
but  little  of  any  thing.  Even  the  excessive  drinking 
of  water  may  prove  injurious,  and  has  proved  so  to 

F 


62  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

multitudes.  The  digestion  of  students  is  generally 
feeble  at  best;  but  taking  much  liquid  of  any  kind 
into  the  stomach,  is  calculated  to  render  it  still  more 
feeble.  Drink,  therefore,  as  little  as  possible,  without 
being  incommoded  by  importunate  thirst.  Habituate 
yourself  to  as  few  wants,  in  this  respect,  as  possible. 
Let  not  your  first  request,  when  you  call  at  a  friend's 
house,  be,  as  the  manner  of  some  ever  is,  to  be  fur- 
nished with  "  something  to  drink."  Such  a  request 
commonly  leads  to  the  offer  of  every  tempting  arti- 
cle of  drink,  that  may  be  within  reach  of  your  en- 
tertainer, and  may  thus  cause  him  to  lay  in  your  way 
a  most  serious,  and  it  may  be,  a  fatal  snare.  Of  all 
men  in  the  world,  clergymen,  who  are  very  often  in 
the  houses  of  their  friends  or  parishioners,  and  who 
are  constantly  in  the  way  of  receiving  kind  offers  of 
refreshment,  ought  to  be  men  of  self-denial,  espe- 
cially with  regard  to  all  stimulating  drinks.  Without 
a  large  measure  of  this  grace  in  habitual  exercise, 
they  may  be  considered  as  constantly  standing  on  the 
brink  of  a  precipice. 

My  earnest  advice,  therefore,  is,  that,  for  the  dou- 
ble purpose  of  guarding  against  personal  temptation, 
and  of  setting  a  good  example  to  others,  you  decline 
the  use  of  ardent  spirits  altogether,  however  press- 
ingly  they  may  be  urged  upon  you;  and  that  you 
make  as  little  use  of  any  kind  of  stimulating  drink  as 
possible.  Discountenance  the  use  of  such  drinks 
among  all  with  whom  you  associate.  Let  it  be  seen 
that  you  do  so  on  principle.  And  let  your  pi-actice 
testify  that  you  believe  and  obey  your  own  doctrine.* 

*  Such  was  the  deliberate  judgment  of  the  author  of  these  "  Letters" 
in  1827.     Since  that  time  hii  conviction  of  the  truth  and  importance 


OFFENSIVE  PERSONAL  HABITS.  63 

4,  Closely  connected  witli  the  foregoing  particular, 
is  another  habit,  against  which  a  minister  of  the  gos- 
pel ought  to  be  especially  on  his  guard.  I  mean 
manifesting  or  cherishing  an   excessive   fondness 

FOR  LUXURIOUS  EATING. 

I  shall  probably  say  something  hereafter  on  the 
mischiefs  of  intemperate  eating,  in  reference  to  the 
bodily  health.  My  design,  at  present,  is  merely  to 
speak  of  those  improprieties  of  manner  which  are  apt 
to  grow  out  of  an  undue  estimate  of  this  indulgence. 

When  worldly  men  show,  without  reserve,  that 
they  worship  their  palates;  when  in  public  houses, 
and  in  private  Himilies,  they  are  continually  mani- 
festing their  epicurean  character;  when  they  are 
disposed  to  give  trouble  for  the  gratification  of  their 
appetite  wherever  they  may  be; /when  they  eagerly 
seize  upon  the  best  pieces  of  any  articic  of  food  on 
the  table,  thereby  showing  that  they  prefer  the  in- 
dulgence of  their  own  taste,  to  the  gratification  of  any 
one  else; — I  say,  when  ivorldly  rnen  allow  them- 
selves to  act  thus,  all  correct  judges  know  that  they 
violate  good  manners;  but  as  "they  have  their  portion 
in  this  life,"  they  are  expected,  when  unrestrained, 
to  feel  and  act  with  this  supreme  regard  to  appetite. 
And,  even  with  respect  to  manners,  luxurious  men, 
in  concerns  of  tliis  nature,  often  have  influence  enough 
to  make  a  sort  of  "  law  for  themselves." 

But,  in  ministers  of  the  gospel,  or  candidates  for 
the  ministry,  nothing  of  this  kind  ought  ever  to  be 
seen,  or  so  much  as  suspected  to  exist.  Habits  of 
the  most  marked  simplicity  and  moderation,  in  eat- 

of  all  that  he  has  here  said,  has  become  more  deep  and  solemn  than 
ever. 


64  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

ing,  as  well  as  in  drinking,  ought  ever  to  characterize 
them.     Let  none,  then,  ever  have  reason  to  accuse 
you   of  being  particularly   fond   of  gratifying  your 
palate,  or  of  being  particularly  nice  in  what  is  re- 
quired for  that  purpose.     Eat  whatever  is  set  before 
you,  without  a  word  of  question  or  difficulty.     And 
while  many  eat  with  a  rapidity  or  a  greediness  which- 
indicates  a  mind  inordinately  intent  on  the  pleasure 
of  eating;  let  every  movement,  on  your  part,  indi- 
cate that  moderation  which  becomes  a  minister  of 
Christ.     At  a  luxurious  table  exercise  self-denial  with 
peculiar  vigilance.     Let  it  be  seen  that  you  have  no- 
alliance  with  the  character  of  a  gourmand.     Eat  com- 
monly but  of  one  simple  dish.     Eat  slowly;  gently; 
without  that  smacking  of  the  lips,  and  that  noisy 
motion  of  the  mouth,  which  are  expressive  either  of 
extreme   hunger,   or  vulgarity,  or  both.      Eat  and 
drink  guardedly,  too,  lest  some  article  passing  the 
wrong  way,  should  embarrass  you  before  company,, 
and  which,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  resalts  from  haste,, 
and  want  of  care.     And  finally,  eat  without  talking 
7nuch  about  eating.     Nothing  is  more  common  in 
company,  than   to    hear  much   said    respecting   the 
pleasures  of  the  table;  the  excellence  of  particular 
articles  of  food;  the  relish  of  certain  kinds  of  cook- 
ery, &c.     Let  nothing  of  this  kind  ever  engage  your 
thoughts,  or  your  tongue.     Let  nothing  indicate  that 
you  are  a  man  "  given  to  appetite."     Wherever  you 
may  be,  or  whatever  may  be  the  subjects  of  conver- 
sation with  others;  let  every  word  and  look,  on  your 
part,  evince  tliat  you  are  seeking  higher  and  better 
objects  than  those  which  "  minister  to   the    flesh." 
And,  although  it  may  seldom  be  proper  or  seasonable 


OFFENSIVE   PEIISONAL   HABITS.  65 

10  administer  a  direct  rebuke  to  those  vvlio  are  fond 
of  such  topics  of  conversation;  yet  it  is  always  both 
seasonable  and  proper,  by  abstaining  from  any  par- 
ticipation in  them  to  administer  what  may  sometimes 
be  a  most  powerful  rebuke,  to  those  around  you. 
When  at  your  own  table,  or  the  tables  of  others, 
think  how  your  Master,  or  one  of  his  inspired  apos- 
tles would  act  and  converse,  in  similar  circumstances, 
and  endeavour  to  make  that  the  model  of  your  own 
conduct. 

5.  Guard  against  loud  or  boisterous  laughter 
in  company.  It  is  a  mark  of  ill-breeding.  Some 
persons,  of  manners  otherwise  correct,  greatly  offend 
in  this  particular.  I  have  known  a  few  ministers,  of 
buoyant  animal  spirits,  who  were  in  the  habit  of 
laughing  with  as  much  unrestrained  coarseness  and 
noise  as  the  boatswain  of  a  man  of  war;  insomuch 
that  they  were  heard  over  a  whole  house,  and  even 
in  the  street.  I  need  not  add,  that,  until  their  worth 
became  known  b)'  an  intimate  acquaintance,  they  ex- 
cited surprise  and  disgust  in  all  who  approached  them. 
The  laughter  of  a  polished  man,  and  especially  of  a 
clergyman,  however  hearty,  ought  never  to  be  ob- 
streperous, and  seldom  audible. 

6.  It  is  the  habit  of  many,  almost  as  soon  as  they 
are  seated  in  company,  to  take  out  a  penknife,  and  to 
begin  to  pare  their  nails;  or,  if  they  have  been 
sufficiently  pared  before,  to  scrape,  or  polish,  or  clean 
them.  This  is  an  indelicate  practice,  always  carrying 
with  it  the  idea  of  the  want  of  cleanliness,  and  no  less 
of  a  want  of  respect  to  those  in  whose  presence  we 
are  seated.  It  is,  indeed,  important  if  we  would 
appear  decent,  that  our  nails  be  kept  properly  pared, 


66  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

and  carefully  divested  of  the  foul  matter  which  is 
apt  to  accumulate  at  the  ends  of  them.  But  let  these 
operations  always  be  performed  in  private.  Why 
should  they  be  performed  before  company  any  more 
than  washing  our  hands  and  face,  or  cleaning  our 
teeth  ?  It  is  certain,  that  to  some  they  are  pecu- 
liarly offensive.  I  once  heard  a  clergyman  of  great 
eminence,  for  both  piety  and  talents,  say,  that  he 
"  would  be  nearly  as  willing  to  see  a  person  pull  off 
his  shoes  and  stockings,  and  fall  to  cutting  his  toe 
nails  in  company,  as  constantly  trimming  and  clean- 
ing those  of  his  hands." 

7.  Many  persons  who  are  aware  of  the  impropriety 
of  cutting  or  cleaning  their  nails  before  company, 
are  apt,  when  sitting  in  the  presence  of  others,  either 
from  embarrassment,  or  from  having  nothing  to  do, 

to  be  PICKING    AT    THE    SKIN    ON    THEIR  HANDS,  aS  if 

they  were  picking  off  scales,  or  were  incommoded 
by  some  cutaneous  disease.  This  has  an  ill  appear- 
ance. To  many  persons  it  is  extremely  revolting; 
and  nothing  is  more  natural  than  to  associate  with  it 
the  idea  of  something  uncleanly  or  unwholesome. 

8.  The  practice,  by  no  means  unfrequent,  of  comb- 
ing THE  HAIR  in  company  is  quite  exceptionable.  It 
is  an  offence  against  delicacy  and  cleanliness,  and 
ought  always  to  be  performed  in  private.  Yet  I  have 
known  many  candidates  for  the  ministry,  and  even 
ministers,  do  this  without  reserve;  and,  what  is  more, 
wiping  off  what  had  accumulated  on  the  comb  in  the 
course  of  the  operation,  and  scattering  it  at  their  feet. 

9.  The  practice  of  yawning  in  company,  ought, 
as  far  as  possible,  to  be  avoided.  It  looks  as  if  we 
were  weary  of  our  companions.     And  although  it  is 


OFFENSIVE   PERSONAL  HABITS.  67 

often  an  involuntary  act;  yet  there  is  no  doubt,  at  the 
same  time,  that  it  may  be  encouraged,  so  as  to  occur 
far  more  frequently  than  is  absolutely  necessary,  and 
even  established  as  a  habit.  Avoid  it  as  much  as 
possible  even  in  private;  for  if  you  desire  to  form 
good  habits  in  company,  you  must  endeavour  to  es- 
tablish them  in  your  most  secret  retirement.  And 
when  it  does  involuntarily  occur  in  company,  hide  it 
as  much  as  you  can  by  the  delicate  use  of  your  hand- 
kerchief 

10.  The  act  of  coughing  in  company  is  not  al- 
ways a  voluntary  act:  yet  nothing  is  more  certain 
than  that  it  may  be  restrained  and  mitigated  to  a  great 
degree.  Many  persons,  however,  make  no  attempt 
at  this  restraint.  They  cough  in  the  largest  circles, 
with  a  frequency,  a  loudness,  and  an  apparent  strain- 
ing of  the  chest,  which  cannot  fail  to  give  pain  to  all 
who  witness  it.  Such  persons  ought,  if  consistent 
with  duty,  to  remain  at  home:  or  if  compelled  to  go 
into  company,  it  ought  to  be  their  constant  aim  to 
restrain  their  cougli.  By  this  means,  while  they 
avoid  giving  pain  to  others,  they  will  be  benefited 
themselves;  for  nothing  is  more  certain  than  that  the 
irritation  of  continual  coughing  is  quite  as  injurious 
to  the  patient  himself,  as  it  is  annoying  to  those 
around  him.  It  will  readily  occur  to  every  person 
of  delicacy  that  peculiar  caution  in  this  respect  ought 
to  be  exercised,  while  seated  at  table.  The  practice 
in  which  many  vulgar  people  indulge,  of  coughing, 
yawning,  and  sneezing  over  the  dishes  placed  in  their 
immediate  neighbourhood,  is  intolerable,  and  has 
driven  many  a  delicate  person  from  the  table. 

11.  The  practice  of  picking  the   teeth,  while 


68  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

seated  at  table,  is  proscribed  by  all  correct  people. 
If  you  cannot  avoid  it  without  being  very  uncom- 
fortable, cover  your  mouth  with  your  handkerchief, 
and  let  the  operation  be  as  little  conspicuous  as  pos- 
sible. As  to  picking  your  teeth  with  ih&fork  which 
you  employ  in  eating,  (which  I  have  sometimes  wit- 
nessed) I  presume  your  own  sense  of  propriety  will 
instinctively  revolt  from  it,  as  peculiarly  offensive. 

12.  When  sitting  at  table  in  company,  guard 
against  leaning  with  your  elbows  on  the  table. 
There  is  a  slouching  and  disrespectful  familiarity  in 
this  practice,  which  ought  never  to  be  indulged  b}'^ 
any  one  who  wishes  to  be  considered  as  a  man  of 
correct  manners.  It  is  enough  for  incorrigible 
loungers  to  be  leaning  upon  every  thing  which  stands 
within  their  reach.  Guard  against  any  assimilation 
to  their  habits.  You  ought  to  be  very  much  at  home, 
indeed,  where  any  thing  of  this  kind  is  allowable. 
But  the  fact  is,  it  ought  not  to  be  allowed,  even  at 
your  own  table,  when  strangers  are  present. 

13.  There  are  some  personal  habits  so  very  offen- 
sive, that  it  is  difficult  to  speak  of  them  without  ex- 
citing, in  many  delicate  minds,  a  state  of  feeling  al- 
most as  painful  as  that  which  would  be  produced  by 
witnessing  the  habits  themselves.  On  this  account, 
I  cannot  dwell  upon  them  in  minute  detail:  and  yet 
to  pass  them  altogether  without  notice,  would  be 
doing  injustice  to  my  design.  I  shall,  therefore,  sim- 
ply name,  in  a  cursory  manner,  a  few  of  those  which 
I  have  in  view,  and  trust  to  your  own  discernment 
and  good  sense  to  supply  the  rest  of  the  catalogue,  as 
well  as  to  suggest  the  reasons  why  they  are  prohibited 
in  all  polished  society. 


OFFENSIVE  PERSONAL  HABITS.  69 

Among  the  habits  alluded  to,  are  those  of  audible 
and  uncovered  eructation; — picking  the  nose,  and 
the  ears,  not  in  a  guarded  and  delicate  manner,  with 
the  handkerchief,  but  with  the  finger,  and  with  full 
exposure  to  view; — blowhig  the  nose  in  a  loud  and 
disgusting  manner; — looking  into  the  handkerchief, 
after  blowing  the  nose,  as  if  apprehensive  of  finding 
some  threatening  appearance  in  the  secretion  inspect- 
ed;— sneezing  frequently,  without  breaking  either 
the  force  or  tlie  noise  of  the  blast  by  the  application 
of  a  handkerchief; — holding  the  handkerchief  at  a  dis- 
tance from  the  mouth,  and  spitting  into  it,  instead  of 
silently  and  covertly  wiping  the  saliva  from  the  lips; 
— snuj/ing  up  the  nose  with  an  offensive  frequency; 
— the  habit  of  hemming,  and  clearing  the  throat 
very  loudly  and  frequently,  and  in  a  disgusting  man- 
ner, as  if  labouring  under  some  organic  obstruction; 
— these,  and  a  number  of  other  similar  habits,  ought 
carefully  to  be  avoided  by  all  who  wish  to  attain  de- 
cent and  acceptable  manners.  It  is  no  excuse  for 
these  habits  to  say,  that  some  of  the  things  alluded 
to  are  involuntary  acts.  This  is,  no  doubt,  true.  But 
it  may,  nevertheless,  be  asserted,  even  of  those  which 
are  most  decisively  of  this  class,  that,  by  a  little  deli- 
cate attention,  they  may  be  very  much  controlled 
and  mitigated,  and  by  the  discreet  use  of  the  hand- 
kerchief, they  may  be  easily  deprived  of  almost 
every  thing  offensive  in  their  character. 

14.  The  mode  of  sitting  in  company,  is  a  point 
concerning  which  no  little  indecorum  is  often  in- 
dulged. The  offences  against  propriety  in  this  re- 
spect are  numerous.  Many,  when  seated,  even  in 
large  and  ceremonious  companies,  are  in  the  habit  of 


70  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

lifting  up  one  or  both  of  their  feet,  and  placing 
them  on  a  neighbouring  chair.  Others,  if  ihey  can 
get  a  place  on  a  sofa  or  settee,  lay  their  bodies  upon  it 
at  full  length,  in  a  horizontal  posture;  and  thus  ei- 
ther exclude  all  others  from  sharing  in  the  seat,  or 
subject  them  to  the  danger  of  encountering  their 
soiled  shoes.  A  third  class,  the  moment  they  fix 
themselves  upon  any  kind  of  seat,  appear  to  be 
searching  for  something  to  lean  or  recline  iqmn; 
and  when  such  an  article  is  found,  are  incessantly 
hanging  and  lounging  upon  it.  While  a  fourth  class, 
though  they  have  only  a  single  chair  to  occupy, 
thrust  out  their  feet  as  far  as  j^ossible,  and  throw 
their  persons  as  near  to  the  horizontal  posture  as  they 
can,  as  if  the  object  were  to  cover  the  largest  practi- 
cable space  on  the  floor,  and  to  subject  those  who 
have  occasion  to  pass  before  them  to  the  risk,  every 
moment,  of  stumbling  over  their  feet.  I  have  often 
wondered  that  persons  of  the  least  delicacy  or  reflec- 
tion should  be  found  indulging  such  habits.  If  you 
have  any  disease  of  the  feet  or  legs,  which  requires 
them  to  be  placed  in  a  horizontal  posture,  mention 
the  circumstance  to  the  company,  and  obtain  permis- 
sion to  use  the  needed  privilege,  and  all  will  be  well. 
I  have  only  to  mention,  under  this  head,  the  inci- 
vility of  sitting  tvith  your  back  to  any  portion  of 
the  company  with  whom  you  may  be  seated.  This 
is  never  proper,  unless  an  apartment  is  so  crowded 
that  avoiding  it  is  manifestly  impossible. 

15.  The  habit  of  tilting  your  chair  back, 
while  you  are  sitting  upon  it,  so  as  to  rest  only  on  its 
two  hinder  feet,  is,  on  several  accounts,  improper. 
It  has  proved  the  fruitful  source  of  many  ludicrous, 


OPI'ENSIVE  PERSONAL  HABITS.  71 

and  even  dangerous  falls  backward,  as  most  persons 
have  had  an  opportunity  of  observing.  And  it  al- 
most necessarily  leads  to  those  awkward,  constrained, 
or  lounging  postures  of  the  body,  which  have  been 
already  mentioned  as  offences  against  that  respectful- 
ness of  manner  which  every  gentleman  is  bound  ha- 
l}itually  to  maintain.  This  practice  of  tilting  back 
the  chair  in  company,  has  been  considered  and  re- 
presented in  Europe,  as  one  of  the  peculiarities  of 
American  ill-breeding. 

16.  The  fact  is,  we  owe  it  to  our  bodily  health, 
as  well  as  to  good  manners,  to  learn  the  art  of  habit- 
ually SITTING  IN  AN  ERECT  POSTURE.       FeW  things 

are  more  important  to  a  student.  If  he  allow  him- 
self, in  the  privacy  of  his  own  apartment,  to  sit  in  a 
leaning,  lounging,  half-bent  posture,  with  his  elbows 
on  his  knees,  or  with  his  feet  stuck  up  on  a  chair,  or 
against  the  side  of  the  fire-place,  higher  than  his 
head,  or  on  a  level  with  it;  he  will  be  much  more 
apt  to  contract  a  pain  in  his  breast,  and  to  find  his 
eye-sight  and  his  general  health  affected  by  three 
hours'  study,  in  such  a  posture,  than  b}^  five  or  even 
six  in  a  more  erect  one.  Let  your  habitual  mode  of 
sitting,  even  in  your  study,  be  perfectly  erect,  with 
the  breast  rather  protruded  than  bent  in;  and,  in 
short,  very  much  in  that  self-supported  and  firm 
manner,  in  which  you  would  w^ish  to  sit  in  the  most 
ceremonious  company.  This  may  seem,  at  first  view, 
to  be  too  formal;  but  it  wull  become,  in  a  short  time, 
what  it  is  the  object  of  this  counsel  to  make  it,  the 
most  natural  posture;  and  will,  without  effort  on  your 
part,  confer  all  those  advantages  on  the  score  of  health 
and  manners  which  it  is  desirable  to  gain  from  it. 


72  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

Besides,  if  now,  in  your  youth,  you  are  constantly 
seeking,  as  many  appear  to  be,  something  to  recline 
upon;  if  you  cannot  sit  ten  minutes  without  throw- 
ing yourself  into  the  recumbent,  or  semi-recumbent 
postures,  to  which  we  see  the  young  and  healthy 
constantly  resorting;  what  will  you  do  in  the  feeble- 
ness of  old  age  ?  If  you  cannot  sit  otherwise  than 
half-bent  at  twenty-five;  how  will  you  sit  at  three 
score  and  ten  ?  Let  the  sunken,  revolting  figures  of 
many  aged  persons  give  the  answer. 

17.  Many  persons,  the  moment  they  seat  them- 
selves in  company,  and  especially  when  they  be- 
come engaged  in  conversation,  if  there  be  a  screw, 
KNOB,  or  SMALL  FIXTURE  of  any  kind  within  their 
reach,  which  admits  of  being  turned  or  handled,  are 
incessantly  engaged  in  performing  this  operation,  to 
the  annoyance  of  the  owner  of  the  house,  and  often 
to  the  incurable  injury  of  the  article  thus  roughly 
treated.  Try  to  learn  the  art  of  sitting  still,  while 
you  are  conversing,  without  pulling  and  tugging  at 
the  furniture  around  you;  without  playing  with  any 
part  of  your  own  dress  or  person ;  without  incessantly 
stretching  and  cracking  the  joints  of  your  fingers; 
without  pulling  out  your  watch  every  half  minute, 
and  twirling  the  chain  in  every  direction,  &c.  The 
truth  is,  that  kind  of  nervous  restless7iess  which  leads 
to  things  of  this  kind,  ought  ever  to  be  resisted.  He 
who  must  have  something  to  play  with  while  he  is 
conversing,  ought  to  consider  himself  as  called  upon 
promptly  and  firmly  to  apply  a  remedy. 

18.  Finally;  let  me  enjoin  upon  you  to  avoid  all 

SLOVENLY    HABITS    OF    WHATSOEVER     KIND,    in    yOUr 

person,  in  the  implements  you  use,  and  in  the  apart- 


OFFENSIVE  PERSONAL  HABITS.  79 

ment.s  you  occupy.  The  offences  against  this  counsel 
are  so  numerous  and  diversified,  that  I  cannot  pre- 
tend to  specify  them.  Good  sense,  attentive  obser- 
vation, and  general  habits  of  neatness,  will,  I  trust, 
render  minute  details  unnecessary. 

It  is  recorded  of  the  celebrated  Mr.  Whitejield, 
that  he  was  characteristically  neat  in  his  person,  and 
with  respect  to  every  thing  about  him.  He  was  ac- 
customed to  say,  that "  a  minister  ought  to  be  without 
spot."  He  would  not  allow  a  paper  to  be  out  of  its 
place,  or  to  be  put  up  irregularly.  He  would  have 
every  part  of  the  furniture  of  his  room  in  its  appro- 
priate station  before  he  retired  to  rest;  and  remarked, 
that  he  could  not  be  easy,  if  he  thought  so  small  an 
article  as  his  gloves  were  out  of  the  proper  place. 
Such  were  the  feelings  of  a  man  whose  evangelical 
labours  w'ere  abundant  to  a  degree  almost  without 
parallel;  and  whose  heart  was  peculiarly  intent  on 
the  great  duties  of  his  office  as  an  "ambassador  of 
Christ." 

Let  every  apartment  which  you  occupy,  either 
permanently,  or  for  a  short  time,  bear  the  character  of 
neatness.  When  you  qriit  your  bed  in  the  morning, 
lay  up  the  bed-clothes  decently,  so  that  no  visitant 
need  be  offended  by  the  appearance  of  things.  When 
you  wash  yourself,  especially  in  the  house  of  a 
friend,  do  it  with  gentleness  and  neatness  without 
wetting  the  carpet  or  floor,  without  bespattering  the 
wall  or  furniture  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
basin — that  you  may  as  much  as  possible  diminish 
the  labour  of  servants.  A  conscientious  man,  in 
these  circumstances,  ought  ever  to  act  on  the  princi- 
ple of  giving  as  little  trouble  as  may  be  to  those 

G 

r 


74  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

around  him;  and,  for  this  purpose,  in  all  cases  what- 
soever, whether  at  home  or  abroad,  to  leave  as  little 
to  clean  after  him  as  possible. 

On  the  subject  of  slovenly  habits,  and  several 
other  points  noticed  in  this  letter,  I  would  recom- 
mend to  your  perusal  the  Rev.  Dr.  Jidam  Clarke'' s 
"  Letter  to  a  Methodist  Preacher."  You  will  per- 
ceive that  the  learned  and  venerable  author,  though 
belonging  to  an  ecclesiastical  body  rather  distin- 
guished for  the  simplicity  and  plainness  of  its  mem- 
bers, and  certainly  by  no  means  excessive  in  its 
attention  to  external  polish,  considers  a  negligence  of 
cleanliness  in  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  as  not  only 
disgusting,  but  as  very  closely  allied  to  moral  delin- 
quency. 


LETTER    IV. 


A  word  spoken  in  due  season,  how  good  is  it ! — Prox<.  xv.  23. 


CONVERSATION. 

My  dear  young  friexd, 

Those  qualities  which  enable  any  man  to  appear 
well  in  conversation,  are  among  the  most  precious 
that  can  be  possessed.  To  every  public  man  these 
qualities  are  peculiarly  important.  But  to  a  minister 
of  the  gospel,  they  are  above  measure  valuable.  The 
business  of  his  life  is  to  benefit  his  fellow  men.  A 
large  portion  of  his  time  must  be  passed,  and  ought 
to  be  passed,  in  society;  and  he  who  is  best  qualified 
to  make  all  his  social  intercourse  at  once  pleasing  and 
useful,  is,  of  course,  best  qualified  to  promote  the 
great  ends  for  which  the  ministry  was  instituted. 

But  w4iile  this  accomplishment  is  certainly  valu- 
able beyond  all  price,  it  evidently  engages  much  less 
of  the  attention  of  candidates  for  the  holy  ministry 
than  its  importance  demands.  Instead  of  "  coveting 
earnestly  this  gift;"  instead  of  studying  daily  to 
attain  it,  and  to  make  progress  in  it,  as  is  done  with 
regard  to  some  other  things  of  less  value;  this  great 
concern  is  left,  pretty  much,  to  take  care  of  itself,  or, 


76  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

at  best,  to  depend  on  the  exigency  of  the  moment, 
both  for  exercise  and  improvement. 

Every  man,  indeed,  is  not  qualified  to  excel  in 
conversation;  but  every  man  may  be  inoffensive,  if 
not  agreeable:  and,  as  Dean  Swift  has  somewhere 
remarked,  there  are  hundreds  of  men  who  might  not 
only  be  agreeable,  but  really  shine,  who,  on  account  of 
a  few  gross  faults,  which  they  might  easily  correct  in 
half  an  hour,  are,  at  present,  not  even  tolerable. 
They  pass  through  life  not  only  without  usefulness,but 
are  considered  as  a  nuisance  wherever  they  appear. 

As  I  propose  to  make  Religious  Conversation 
the  subject  of  a  separate  letter,  I  shall  confine  my- 
self, at  present,  to  some  general  principles,  which,  it 
appears  to  me,  ought  to  regulate  all  our  social  inter- 
course. Most  of  these  principles,  indeed,  apply 
equally  to  all  classes  of  persons.  Some  of  them, 
however,  are  more  especially  worthy  of  the  attention 
of  those  who  seek  or  sustain  the  sacred  office. 

This  subject  is  I'ecommended  to  our  attention,  not 
only  by  common  sense,  and  experience;  but  also  by 
the  Word  of  God.  Holy  Job  exclaimed — How  for- 
cible are  right  ivords!  <Ji  word  spoken  in  due  sea- 
son, says  the  wise  man,  hoiu  good  is  it!  Prov.  xv. 
23.  And  again,  A  ivord  fitly  spoken,  is  like  ap- 
ples of  gold  i?i  pictures  of  silver.  Prov.  xxv.  11. 
Again,  the  inspired  apostle  exhorts — Let  no  corrupt 
communication  jirocced  out  of  your  mouth,  but 
that  which  is  good,  to  the  use  of  edifying,  that  it 
may  minister  grace  unto  the  hearers.  Ephes.  iv. 
29.  And  again,  Let  your  speech  be  always  with 
grace  seasoned  loith  salt,  that  ye  may  know  how 
to  answer  every  man.     Coloss.  iv.  6. 


CONVERSATION.  77 

Allow  me,  then,  to  put  you  on  your  guard  against 
some  of  the  most  common  faults  in  conversation,  and 
to  recommend  some  of  those  excellencies,  which 
appear  to  me  particularly  worthy  of  your  attention. 

1.  In  the  first  place,  be  upon  your  guard  against 
TALKING  TOO  MUCH  in  Company.  He  who  is  very 
talkative  incurs  disadvantages  of  the  most  serious 
kind.  He  cheapens  himself;  tires  his  hearers;  and, 
of  course,  renders  what  he  has  to  say,  however  rich 
it  may  be  in  wisdom,  much  less  likely  to  prove  either 
acceptable  or  useful,  than  if  he  talked  less.  Speak 
seasonably,  x\^y  frequently^  if  you  have  opportunity, 
but  never  long.  Contribute  your  equitable  share  to 
the  conversation;  but  do  not  allow  yourself  to  go 
beyond  these  limits.  "  Pay  your  own  reckoning," 
as  one  has  expressed  it;  "but  do  not  undertake,  at 
your  own  expense,  to  treat  the  whole  company. 
This  being  one  of  the  few  cases  in  which  people  do 
not  wish  to  be  treated;  every  one  being  fully  con- 
vinced that  he  has  wherewithal  to  pay  his  own  bill." 
This  fault  is  particularly  noticed  and  reproved  in 
Scripture.  A  fooPs  voice,  says  the  wise  man,  is 
known  by  the  multitude  of  words.  In  the  multi- 
tude of  words,  says  the  same  inspired  teacher,  there 
ivanteth  not  sin;  but  he  that  rcfraineih  his  lips  is 
wise.  And  again,  He  that  hath  knowledge,  spareth 
his  words.'* 

I  have  never  known  a  great  talker,  however  en- 
lightened and  instructive,  who  did  not,  at  length, 
become  wearisome  to  his  company.  Nor  did  I  ever 
know  one  of  this  character,  who,  in  the  multitude  of 

•  Eccles.  iii.  3.     Prov.  x.  19.     Prov.  xvii.  27. 


78  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

the  remarks  and  opinions  which  he  threw  out,  did 
not  sometimes  utter  that  which  he  had  better  have 
kept  to  himself;  and  which,  in  some  instances,  be- 
came the  source  of  great  subsequent  trouble.  It  is 
very  unwise  in  a  man  who  bears  such  a  relation  to 
society  as  a  clergyman  does:  who  is  set  for  the  in- 
struction and  guidance  of  the  people;  who  comes  in 
contact  with  so  many  individuals  in  all  classes  of 
society;  whose  remarks  and  opinions  are  important, 
and,  if  he  be  at  all  respected,  likely  to  be  remembered 
and  quoted;  nay,  whose  judgment  on  the  current 
topics  of  the  day  may  have  no  small  influence  on  the 
minds  of  some,  when  he  shall  have  passed  off  the 
stage  of  life; — surely  it  is  unwise  for  such  a  man  to 
be  throwing  out  his  opinions  on  all  subjects,  wiLhout 
due  consideration.  Surely  it  is  unwise  for  him  to 
speak  hastily  and  rashly.  And  if  he  be  "  full  of 
talk,"  he  v/ill  seldom  be,  for  an  hour  together,  wholly 
free  from  rash  and  indiscreet  speaking.  Let  every 
mem,  hut  especially  every  minister,  be  swift  to  hear, 
and  sloiv  to  speak. 

2.  A  fault,  directly  the  reverse  of  that  which  was 
last  mentioned,  is  the  extreme  of  silence  in 
COMPANY.  I  have  known  some  from  physical  tem- 
perament; others  from  abstraction  and  absence  of 
mind;  and  a  third  class,  perhaps,  from  still  more 
exceptionable  causes,  wrapping  themselves  up  in  a 
chilling  reserve;  never  speaking  but  when  addressed, 
and  then  answering  as  briefly  as  possible,  and  relaps- 
ing into  silence  again.  This  is  certainly  unhappy 
for  one  who  ought  to  be,  wherever  he  is,  an  instructor 
and  benefactor.  While  you  avoid  garrulity,  then, 
sink  not  down  into  silence.     While  you  guard  against 


CONVERSATION".  79 

inonopolizing  the  conversation,  by  no  means  give  it 
up  altogether.  And  if  you  find  yourself  frequently 
at  a  loss  for  topics  of  conversation,  take  pains  to  have 
something  ready  for  tlic  discharge  of  this,  as  well  as 
every  otiier  duty,  by  jjreviously  meditating  on  what 
may  be  adapted  to  utility  in  the  particular  company 
to  which  you  may  be  introduced. 

3.  Another  practical  maxim,  of  great  importance 
in  conversation,  is,  that  you  avoid  a  tale-bearing, 
TATTLING  SPIRIT.  I  liavc  known  some  clergymen, 
who  were  the  greatest  newsmongers  in  their  neigh- 
bourhoods. They  were  among  the  first  to  circulate 
idle  stories;  to  give  currency  to  unconfirmed  state- 
ments; to  trumpet  abroad  cliarges  of  the  most  serious 
kind,  without  adequate  evidence,  and  were  often, 
very  often,  afterwards  obliged  to  explain,  apologize, 
and  even  retract.  This  is  a  shameful  spirit  for  any 
professing  Christian  to  indulge;  but  is  peculiarly 
shameful  for  an  ambassador  of  Christ,  whose  course 
ought  ever  to  be  marked  by  caution,  dignity,  tender- 
ness for  the  reputation  of  others,  and  universal  be- 
nevolence. 

Be  not  ready  to  credit,  and  in  your  social  hours  to 
recognise  as  true,  every  ill  report  that  malignity 
or  folly  may  put  in  circulation.  If  you  have  heard 
oi&ny  faux  pas  in  the  neighbourhood,  or  even  if  you 
know  it  to  be  true,  be  among  the  last  to  speak  of  it, 
unless  plainly  called  in  duty  to  do  so.  Let  others 
lend  themselves  to  the  ignoble  work  of  tale-bearing, 
or  be  willing  to  connect  their  names  with  the  repeti- 
tion of  ill-natured  reports;  but  let  not  your  name  be 
ever  mentioned  in  such  unworthy  associations.  If 
authority  for  slander  or  for  contemptible  gossiping 


80  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

stories  is  to  be  demanded,  let  it  not  be  traced  to  a 
minister  of  Christ,  who  ought  to  have  something  to 
do  infinitely  more  worthy  of  his  calling.  I  have 
known  ministers  who  were  rash,  credulous,  and 
withal  a  little  fond  of  news,  taking  for  granted  that 
what  were  communicated  to  them  as  facts,  were  really 
so;  freely  speaking  of  them  as  facts;  and,  not  only 
so,  but  proceeding  to  act  on  the  strength  of  them;  to 
administer  severe  reproofs  to  the  individuals  sup- 
posed to  be  guilty;  and  even  carry  the  subject  into  the 
pulpit;  when  the  whole  stories  which  they  believed, 
caught  up,  repeated,  and  acted  upon,  were  entirely 
without  foundation.  It  is  almost  incredible  how  little 
reliance  can  be  placed  on  reports,  circulated  even  by 
good  people,  and  accompanied  with  all  the  minute 
circumstances  of  time  and  place;  and  how  utterly 
unsafe  it  is,  in  many  cases,  even  to  investigate  the 
truth  of  them:  because,  frequently,  even  an  investi- 
gation cannot  be  conducted,  without  repeating  the 
story,  and  thus  giving  it  additional  currency.  There 
are  busy  and  wicked  tongues  enough  for  this  work. 
The  general  rule  for  a  minister  of  the  gospel  is,  to 
take  no  share  in  any  such  conversation,  unless  it  be, 
as  far  as  he  can,  with  a  good  conscience,  to  mollify 
and  repress:  and  then  only  to  allow  himself  to  take 
it  up,  when  it  is  no  longer  possible,  consistently  with 
duty,  to  maintain  silence. 

When  others  speak  to  you  of  the  misconduct  of 
absent  persons,  as  far  as  possible,  in  most  cases,  dis- 
courage such  communications;  and  when  severe  cen- 
sures are  pronounced,  manifest  a  readiness,  as  far  as 
you  co7iscientiousIy  can,  to  suggest  palliatives,  and 
modes  of  viewing  the  subject  which  may  be  consis- 


CONVERSATION.  81 

lent  with  the  innocence  of  the  p;u'ty,  or  at  least  lessen 
his  criminality;  remembering  that  "charity  hopcth 
all  things." 

4.  Closely  connected  with  the  newsy,  taitliiig 
spirit  against  which  I  have  warned  you,  is  that  which 

loves  to  PUV  INTO  THE  PRIVATE  CIRCUMSTANCES,  and 

even  the  secrets  of  families,  and  to  make  theni 
the  subject  of  conversation.  There  is  a  littleness  and 
even  meanness  in  this,  which  all  people  of  elevated 
minds  despise;  and  which,  I  hope  you  will  sacredly 
avoid.  You  will  have  quite  business  enough  of  your 
own,  without  meddling  with  the  private  affairs  of 
other  people.  In  truth,  no  wise  man  will  ever  desire 
to  become  possessed  of  the  secrets  of  his  neighhour. 
They  will  always  be  found  a  troublesome  commodity 
to  have  in  keeping;  and  even  after  they  have  been 
imparted  to  him,  he  will  much  more  frequently  re- 
gret than  rejoice  that  they  ever  came  to  his  know- 
ledge. There  are  many  things  of  which  it  is  much 
more  of  a  privilege  than  a  misfortune  to  be  entirely 
ignorant. 

5.  In  conformity  with  the  foregoing  remarks,  let 
me  recommend,  that,  in  company,  even  with  your 
most  intimate  friends,  you  avoid  the  discussion  of 

PERSONAL     CHARACTER     AND     CONDUCT    aS     mucll     aS 

possible:  and  that  you  prefer  dwelling  on  those 
principles,  doclrincs,  and  facts,  which  are  always, 
and  to  all  classes  in  society,  interesting  and  instruc- 
tive, and  ilie  discussion  of  which,  moreover,  is  always 
safe.  It  was  a  question  often  repeated  by  a  late 
distinguished  physician  and  philanthropist  oi  Phila- 
delphia, a  man  as  remarkable  for  the  soundness  of 
his  mind,  and  the  extent  of  his  learning,  as  for  the 


83  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

benignity  of  his  disposition: — "  Why  are  you  so  con- 
stantly talking  about  jj^f'sons  ?  Why  not  rather 
talk  about  things?"  The  lesson  conveyed  by  this 
question  is  replete  with  practical  wisdom.  If  con- 
versation were  generally  modelled  upon  it,  the  con- 
sequences would  be  happy  indeed. 

6.  Study  the  happy  art  of  making  all  your  con- 
versation USEFUL.  Conversation  which  is  not  reli- 
gious, may  still  be  highly  useful.  It  may  inculcate 
excellent  sentiments  concerning  life,  manners,  edu- 
cation, &c. ;  or  it  may  convey  instruction,  as  to  facts, 
of  great  value.  Where  you  have  an  opportunity  of 
selecting  topics  of  conversation  yourself,  make  a 
point  of  introducing  such  as  shall  be  adapted  to 
benefit,  as  well  as  gratify,  those  whom  you  address. 
And  even  where  you  are  compelled  or  induced  to 
accept  of  those  which  have  been  introduced  by  others, 
try  to  give  them  an  instructive  turn.  Especially 
study  the  happy  art  of  making  your  conversation 
useful  to  YOUNG  PEOPLE  as  often  as  you  are  thrown 
into  their  company.  A  clergyman,  or  a  candidate 
for  the  ministry,  who  has  an  enlarged  mind,  and  a 
good  stock  of  information,  need  not,  and  ought  not, 
to  converse  five  minutes  in  any  company  without 
throwing  out  something  calculated  to  be  thought  of 
afterwards  with  profit.  Nay,  if  we  had  the  spirit  of 
our  Master,  we  should  endeavour  to  make  every 
word  we  utter  useful. 

7.  Do  not  disdain  to  prepare  yourself  to  con- 
verse in  an  intelligent  and  profitable  manner  on 
whatever  may  be  the  popular  topics  of  the  day. 
Whenever  any  interesting  occurrence  renders  a  par- 
ticular place,  or  a  particular  event  in  history,  an  ob* 


CONVERSATION.  83 

ject  of  general  attention,  if  you  are  not  already  accu- 
rately informed  concerning  the  place  or  event  in 
question,  make  a  point  of  obtaining  correct  infor- 
mation as  speedily  as  you  can.  You  may  be  publicly 
appealed  to  for  information  in  the  presence  of  tJiose 
to  whom  you  would  be  unwilling  to  appear  ignorant. 
And  even  if  this  should  not  be  the  case,  you  may 
lose  many  an  opportunity  of  instructing  and  gratify- 
ing those  with  whom  you  converse.  There  is  some 
danger,  indeed,  that  he  who  has  thus  taken  pains  to 
inform  himself  in  relation  to  popular  topics,  may  be 
tempted  by  vanity  to  make  a  display  of  his  know- 
ledge; but  this  is  no  more  an  argument  against  his 
gaining  the  knowledge,  and  being  ready  to  impart  it 
in  a  proper  manner,  and  on  proper  occasions,  than 
the  proneness  of  many  to  pedantry,  is  an  argument 
against  all  endeavours  to  cultivate  and  store  the  mind. 
8.  One  of  the  most  important  habits  to  be  acquired 
in  conversation  is  that  of  paving  close  atten- 
tion to  the  individual  with  whom  you  are  con- 
versing. Nothing  is  more  common  than  the  viola- 
tion of  this  plain  dictate  of  proj^riety.  Many  are  in 
the  constant  habit  of  either  entirely  withdrawing 
their  attention,  or,  at  least,  bestowing  a  very  small 
share  of  it,  on  the  person  who  is  speaking  to  them. 
In  the  midst  of  the  most  important  remarks,  which 
they  are  expected  to  understand  and  to  answer,  they 
plainly  manifest,  by  the  vacant  countenance,  by  the 
averted  eye,  and  sometimes,  even  by  the  indecency 
of  humming  a  tune,  in  a  half-smothered  manner, 
that  they  are  thinking  of  nothing  less  than  the  speak- 
er or  his  discourse.  This  is  a  great  breach  of  deco- 
rum, and  as  unwise  as  it  is  ill-bred.     It  is  impossible 


84  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

to  understand  or  answer  that  which  we  do  not  hearj 
and  very  often,  by  allowing  ourselves  to  indulge  this 
absence  of  mind,  we  lose  many  a  wise  and  weighty 
observation;  we  suffer  many  an  important  link  in  a 
chain  of  argument  to  escape  us,  by  which  we  might, 
had  we  secured  it,  been  largely  profited;  and  even  if 
what  is  said  to  us  be  altogether  erroneous,  we  can 
never  refute,  or  dispose  of  it  in  any  way,  as  we 
ought,  if  we  do  not  attentively  listen  to  it.  If  you 
think  proper  to  take  the  time  to  sit  down  by  a  per- 
son, and  to  pretend  to  listen  to  him,  make  a  point  of 
listening  to  him  really.  When  you  think  that  the 
conversation  ought  to  be  broken  off,  break  it  off;  but, 
while  it  continues,  attend  to  what  is  said.  Unless 
you  do  this,  it  is  impossible  to  estimate  its  value,  or 
to  frame  a  proper  reply,  or  to  adopt  the  most  wise 
and  delicate  method  of  bringing  it  to  a  close.  Many 
a  conversation  has  been  prolonged  to  an  hour,  and, 
after  all,  has  proved  desultory  and  useless,  when  it 
might  have  terminated  in  ten  minutes,  and  been  mu- 
tually beneficial,  had  the  parties  only  given  to  each 
other,  for  that  short  space  of  time,  their  undivided 
attention.  I  repeat  it,  then — if  you  would  treat 
your  friends  with  good  manners;  if  you  would  profit 
by  what  they  say;  if  you  would  gain  the  highest  pos- 
sible advantage  from  every  conversation;  if  you 
would  save  time;  if  you  would  benevolently  impart 
pleasure  as  well  as  receive  it;  if  you  would  reply  to 
what  is  said  to  you,  in  the  wisest  and  most  instruc- 
tive manner;  then  pay  strict  and  undivided  attention 
to  every  word  that  is  uttered,  as  long  as  you  think 
proper  to  continue  any  conversation. 

9.   The  foregoing  remarks  are  intended  to  apply 


CONVERSATION.  85 

where  another  person  is  addressing  yourself  indivi- 
dually. The  same  general  principle  applies  where 
an  individual  is  addressing  a  company  of  which  you 
form  a  part.  In  such  case,  as  long  as  you  continue 
to  occupy  your  seat,  attend  to  what  is  saying. 
I  have  known  many  pei'sons  who,  in  such  circum- 
stances— in  the  midst  of  an  interesting  series  of  re- 
marks addressed  to  them  equally  with  the  rest  of  the 
company,  turned  aside  their  heads;  began  to  whisper 
to  the  person  who  sat  next  to  them,  on  an  entirely 
new  subject;  and  thus  diverted  his  attention  as  well 
as  their  own  from  the  speaker.  This  is,  undoubtedly, 
a  gross  offence  against  good  manners.  It  is  practi- 
cally telling  the  speaker  that  you  do  not  think  him 
worth  listening  to,  and  is  certainly  calculated  to  em- 
barrass, and  even  to  interrupt  him  in  his  remarks. 
Surely  those  who  are  desirous  of  doing  to  others,  as 
they  would  that  others,  in  like  circumstances,  should 
do  to  them,  will  endeavour  to  avoid  such  a  palpable 
indecorum. 

10.  Another  radical  maxim  of  good  manners,  in 
conversation,  is  to  treat  what  is  said  ry  others 
respectfully.  This  maxim,  as  well  as  the  last,  is 
perpetually  disregarded.  To  say  nothing  of  the 
practice  indulged  by  many,  of  habitually  withdraw- 
ing their  attention  from  those  with  whom  they  are 
conversing;  there  are  others,  who  testify  their  want 
of  respect  for  what  is  said  to  them,  in  conversation, 
in  a  great  variety  of  w^ays:  by  a  smile  of  contempt; 
by  a  half-concealed  sneer;  by  a  manifest  unwilling- 
ness to  hear  the  speaker  to  the  end;  by  interrupting 
him;  by  hints  that  his  opinions  are  frivolous;  in  a 
word,  by  some  look,  tone,  or  gesture,  not  easily  spe- 

H 


86  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

cified,  or  clothed  in  language,  by  which  we  may  in- 
timate to  another  that  we  regard  what  he  is  saying  as 
unworthy  of  being  seriously  considered.  In  all  these 
ways,  do  proud  men,  impatient  men,  obstinate, 
opinionated,  vulgar  men,  treat  with  disrespect  many 
remarks  which  are  worthy  of  their  notice,  and  wound 
the  feelings  of  many  a  modest,  timid  speaker. 

If  you  so  far  put  yourself  on  a  level  with  any  one, 
as  to  converse  with  him  at  all,  listen  respectfully  to 
what  he  has  to  say.  It  is  very  possible  that  when 
he  has  finished,  and  before  he  has  finished,  you  may 
be  constrained  to  think  very  little  of  his  remarks. 
But  do  not  wound  his  feelings,  by  giving  him  to  un- 
derstand, beforehand,  that  you  expect  very  little  from 
him  to  the  purpose;  or  by  any  thing  that  shall  indi- 
cate sneer  or  contempt.  Do  not  practically  tell  him, 
that  you  have  no  respect  for  what  he  is  saying.  Not 
only  listen  to  him,  but  give  every  thought  and  word 
which  he  may  utter,  its  due  weight.  Treat  him,  in 
short,  as  you  would  wish  and  expect,  in  like  circum- 
stances, to  be  treated  by  him.  In  no  other  way  will 
3-0U  be  able,  when  he  has  done,  to  answer  his  re- 
marks, in  such  a  manner  as  will  be  likely  to  be  use- 
ful to  him  as  well  as  worthy  of  yourself 

11.  In  conversation  with  an  individual,  look  him 
IN  THE  FACE,  and  keep  your  eye  generally  fixed  on 
his,  as  far  as  you  can  without  staring,  and  looking 
him  out  of  countenance.  The  power  of  the  eye,  in 
seconding  and  enforcing  what  is  said,  is  incalculable. 
Besides,  by  talking  to  an  acquaintance  without  look- 
ing him  in  the  face,  you  forego  a  great  advantage. 
You  lose  the  opportunity  of  perceiving  what  impres- 
sion your  remarks  make  upon  him;  and  of  deciding. 


CONVEllSATIOX.  87 

b}'  his  composure,  or  his  sudden  change  of  counte- 
nance, whether  you  are  giving  him  pleasure  or  pain 
by  your  communication.  JNIany  a  discerning  speaker, 
by  watching  the  countenance  of  him  whom  he  ad- 
dressed, has  been  warned,  by  its  indications,  of  the 
delicate  ground  on  which  he  was  treading,  and  pre- 
vented from  making  further  and  perhaps  very  mis- 
chievous disclosures. 

12.  It  is  of  great  importance  to  a  public  character, 
and  especially  to  a  clergyman,  to  learn  the  art  of 

OPPOSING    ERRONEOUS    SENTIMENTS    CXprCSScd  in  tllC 

course  of  conversation,  with  firmness,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  without  offence.  No  discerning  indivi- 
dual can  converse  many  minutes  together,  with  al- 
most any  one,  without  hearing  something  said,  with 
which  he  cannot  entirely  agree.  Now,  to  oppose 
such  erroneous  opinions  is,  in  most  cases,  a  duty;  and 
yet  to  perform  this  duty  seasonably,  delicately,  and 
with  a  proper  reference  to  time,  place,  and  compan}', 
is  one  of  those  things  which,  more  than  most  others, 
put  in  requisition  our  judgment,  taste,  good  temper, 
and  good  breeding.  Sometimes  the  best  expression 
of  your  disapprobation  will  be  by  perfect  silence.  In 
other  cases,  this  would  be  want  of  fidelity.  When 
you  find  yourself  constrained,  however,  to  give  ut- 
terance to  your  dissent,  let  it  be  done  mildly,  respect- 
fully, and  in  a  manner  fitted  to  win,  rather  than  to 
revolt,  the  errorist.  For  example;  instead  of  saying, 
to  one  who  has  been  delivering  sentiments  in  which 
you  cannot  concur — "  You  seem  to  me  to  talk  ab- 
surdly;"— or,  "  Such  opinions  are  grossly  erroneous 
and  mischievous;" — or,  *■'  A  person  who  can  speak 
tlius,  must  have  either  a  weak  head,  or  a  bad  heart." 


88  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

Rather  say — "  I  cannot  concur  in  that  opinion,  for 
the  following  reasons,  &c. ;"  or,  "  You  must  pardon 
me  for  dissenting  from  that  doctrine;" — or,  "  Per^- 
haps  you  have  not  adverted  to  some  of  the  conse- 
quences of  the  opinion  which  you  have  just  ex- 
pressed;" and  so  in  other  cases.  We  are  never  so 
likel}^  to  benefit  those  who  broach  erroneous  opinions 
in  our  presence,  as  when  we  oppose  them,  withou^t 
acrimony;  with  a  mild  benevolence  of  manner;  and 
with  such  an  exhibition  of  our  reasons,  as  is  adapted 
to  convince  their  judgment,  without  wounding  their 
pride. 

13.  Avoid  a  haughty  and  authoritative  man- 
ner in  conversation.  There  are,  undoubtedly,  many 
clergymen  who  allow  themselves  to  feel  in  the  pai^ 
lour,  very  much  as  they  do  in  the  puljnt ;  as  if  it 
were  their  prerogative  to  dictate  their  sentiments  ex 
cathedra;  and  as  if  they  expected  to  be  heard,  not  as 
friends,  but  as  superiors,  and  authorized  instructors. 
Hence  they  have  habitually,  something  in  their  man- 
ner in  company,  which  banishes  ease,  which  chills 
confidence,  which  represses  free  inquiry,  and  which 
causes  them  to  be  listened  to  rather  with  constraint 
and  timidity,  than  with  affection.  Carefully  shun 
every  thing  of  this  kind.  When  you  ai'e  conversing 
with  friends  in  a  parlour,  you  meet  them  on  terms 
of  equality.  You  are  to  address  them,  not  as  a  lordly 
dictator,  but  as  a  respectful  friend:  not  as  having  au- 
thority over  their  consciences,  but  as  a  helper  of  their 
instruction  and  their  innocent  pleasure.  Avoid, 
therefore,  in  such  circumstances,  all  harsh,  dogmati- 
cal expressions  and  tones.  Do  not  think  to  convince 
by  your  ipse  dixit,  or  to  put  down  an  opponent 


CONVERSATIOX.  89 

b}'  your  sovereign  autliority.  This  would  be  proud 
dictation,  rather  than  conversing;  and  ought  to  be 
carefully  avoided  l)y  one  who  wishes  to  succeed,  by 
addressing  and  treating  men  as  rational  beings;  by  re- 
specting the  rights  of  conscience,  and  by  convincing 
the  understandings  of  those  whom  he  desires  to  gain. 
14.  As  far  as  you  can,  avoid  controversy  in  com- 
versation,  especially  in  mixed  companies.  I  say,  as 
far  as  you  can.  It  is  not  always  possil)le  to  avoid  it. 
An  impudent,  rough,  or  vulgar  attack,  may  compel 
you  to  take  the  stand  and  tone  of  a  polemic,  when 
you  least  desire  it.  When  such  a  case  occurs,  it  ought 
to  be  studiously  met  without  heat  or  passion,  and 
brought  to  a  close  as  speedily  as  possible.  But  many 
good  men  love  controversy;  or,  at  any  rate,  are 
easily  betrayed  into  it.  They  have  so  little  know- 
ledge of  the  world,  and  so  little  discretion,  that  they 
are  always  ready  to  give  battle,  whenever  they  see 
the  banner  of  a  party  raised.  And  even  if  they  be 
seated  in  large,  mixed  companies,  and  be  in  danger 
of  having  all  eyes  and  ears  turned  to  them;  still  they 
imagine  that  no  disputable  sentiment  must  be  allowed 
to  pass.  This  is  a  real  infirmity.  Watch  and  pray 
against  it  without  ceasing.  Never  suffer  the  truth,  if 
you  can  help  it,  to  be  trampled  under  feet  in  your 
presence.  But  there  are  many  ways  of  interposing 
a  mild,  conciliatory  word  in  its  behalf,  and  doing  it 
firmly,  without  allowing  yourself  to  be  drawn  into  a 
dispute.  And  in  this  case,  the  old  medical  maxim, 
ohsta  principiis,  is  of  great  value.  Be  on  the  watch 
to  avoid  controversy,  from  the  first  moment  you  per- 
ceive a  discrepance  of  opinion.  A  slight  effort  may 
be  sufficient,  in  the  beginning,  to  avert  the  evil,  which. 


90  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

after  going  a  few  steps  forward,  will  be  utterly  una- 
vailing. Before  I  take  leave  of  this  particular,  allow 
me,  with  especial  earnestness,  to  put  you  on  your 
guard  against  being  drawn  into  controversy,  in 
company,  with  aged  men  and  whh  Jernales.  Never 
dream  that  you  will  be  able  to  convince,  or  by  any 
means  to  affect  an  alteration  in  the  opinions  of  a  man 
who  has  passed  the  age  of  three  score,  or  three  score 
and  ten.  You  do  not  dispute  with  such  an  one  on 
equal  terms.  If  his  opinions  be  ever  so  erroneous, 
he  is  probably  wedded  to  them  by  long  habit,  as  well 
as  by  strong  prejudice.  He  will  naturally  consider 
himself  as  your  superior,  and  take  for  granted  that 
you  cannot  instruct  him.  Of  course,  you  will  find 
it  difficult  to  use  the  same  freedom  and  scope  of  argu- 
ment with  him,  that  you  would  with  one  nearer  to  an 
equality  with  yourself  in  age.  Many  of  the  same 
considerations  apply  to  females.  In  acuteness,  wit, 
sprightliness,  and  delicate  raillery,  they  often  prove 
very  powerful  opponents;  while  the  hands  of  a  male 
adversary  are,  in  a  great  measure,  tied,  so  that  he 
cannot  wield  with  unrestrained  freedom  many  of 
those  weapons  which  he  might  properly,  and  with 
great  effect,  employ  against  an  adversary  of  his  own 
sex. 

15.  Closely  connected  with  this  caution  against 
sliding  into  unseasonable  controversy  in  company,  is 
another  against  losing  your  temper  in  controversy, 
when  you  happen  to  be  either  unavoidably  dragged, 
or  inadvertently  betrayed,  into  it.  Perhaps  clergy- 
men may  be  said  to  be  peculiarly  exposed  to  this 
temptation.  For,  besides  the  various  other  infirmi- 
ties, which  they  share  in  common  with  all  good  men, 


CONVERSATION.  91 

they  are,  perhaps,  peculiarly  liahle  to  feel  deeply, 
when  their  profession  or  their  opinions  are  attacked. 
Always  set  a  double  guard,  therefore,  at  this  point. 
Recollect  not  only  the  sin  of  all  rash  and  unseason- 
able anger;  but  how  much  the  exhibition  of  it  lowers 
the  dignity  of  a  grave,  official  man;  and  also  that,  in 
controversy,  according  to  an  old  maxim,  he  who  first 
gets  angry  will  generally  be  considered  as  having 
the  weaker  side  of  the  argument. 

16.  Endeavour  to  cultivate  an  easy,  attractive 
MANNER  in  conversation.  Not  that  I  would  have  you 
put  on  the  smiling,  simpering  countenance,  which 
many  affect,  as  giving  them,  what  they  think,  a  plea- 
sant, social  air.  This  is,  to  all  discerning  people,  dis- 
gusting rather  than  attractive.  But  by  the  attractive 
manner  which  I  would  recommend,!  mean,  that  frank, 
courteous,  unaffected,  benign  manner,  which  invites 
freedom  of  intercourse,  and  which  is  adapted  to  place 
all  who  approach  us  at  their  ease.  Such  a  quality  in  a 
clergyman  is  peculiarly  precious,  and  if  properly  cul- 
tivated and  employed,  may  become  a  blessing  to 
thousands.  Of  course,  the  attainment  and  exercise  of 
it  ought  to  be  studied.  And  I  know  of  no  means 
of  attaining  it  more  effectual,  than  habitually  cultiva- 
ting that  genuine  Christian  benevolence,  which  the 
spirit  and  the  example  of  the  blessed  Saviour  so  pow- 
erfully recommended.  A  thousand  rules  on  this  sub- 
ject, expressed  with  all  the  point  and  eloquence  imagi- 
nable, and  day  by  day  treasured  up  in  the  memory, 
are  of  small  value  when  compared  with  this  suc- 
cessful culture  of  the  moral  feelings,  and  the  heart. 

17.  While  you  cultivate  habitual  affability,  good 
nature,  and  benevolence  in  conversation,  be  not  too 


92  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAI,  MANNERS. 

READY  TO  MAKE  PROMISES  OP  SERVICE  tO  those  witll 

whom  you  converse.  The  inexperienced  and  the 
sanguine,  who  have  naturally  an  obliging  temper,  are 
extremely  apt  to  be  betrayed  into  this  fault.  They 
feel  much  disposed  to  oblige;  and  they  hastily  make 
promises,  and  excite  expectations,  which  they  cannot 
fulfil.  Be  not  ready  to  promise,  unless  you  are  sure 
of  your  ability  to  perform.  Be  sacredly  careful  not 
to  disappoint  the  just  expectations  which  you  have 
excited;  and  make  a  point,  instead  of  doing  less  than 
you  say,  rather  to  do  more.  I  have  known  a  number 
of  men,  and  especially  young  men,  in  public  stations, 
who  were  so  ready  to  excite  expectation  of  the  great 
things  they  would  do,  for  individuals,  or  for  public 
bodies,  and  so  remarkably  delinquent  in  accomplish- 
ing what  they  so  hastily  undertook,  that,  after  a 
while,  no  confidence  whatever  was  reposed  in  their 
undertakings. 

18.  It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  one  whose  pro- 
fession leads  him  much  into  society,  that  he  be  not 
READY  to  take  ofeence  at  cvcry  trifle  that  occurs  in 
the  course  of  conversation.  It  is  a  real  misfortune 
for  any  man,  and  especially  for  a  clergyman,  when 
his  natural  temper  is  jealous  and  suspicious,  and  when 
he  is  ever  on  the  watch  for  some  fancied  design  to 
offend  him,  or  to  wound  his  feelings.  I  have  known 
men  in  the  sacred  office  so  extremely  sensitive  to 
every  thing  of  this  kind,  that  their  best  friends  were 
obliged  to  converse  with  them  with  a  degree  of  cau- 
tion truly  painful.  The  most  innocent  remark  some- 
times became  matter  of  offence,  and  where  no  one 
else  saw  the  remotest  purpose  of  personal  application, 
an  unfortunate  individual  was  made  an  offender  for  a 


CONVERSATION.  93 

word.  Guard,  I  pray  you,  against  this  unhappy 
temper  with  the  utmost  vigilance.  Never  think  of 
taking  offence,  until  you  are  very  certain  offence  was 
intended.  Be  sure  to  err  rather  on  the  side  of  for- 
bearance and  charity  than  of  excessive  suspicion. 
Nay,  even  if  you  have  proof  that  there  was  an  inten- 
tion to  wound  your  feelings,  rather  set  it  down  to 
tlie  score  of  temporary  peevishness,  than  of  settled 
malignity;  and  be  ready  to  meet  the  offending  indi- 
vidual, on  the  next  occasion,  with  the  same  serenity 
and  good  will  as  ever. 

19.  Avoid  becoming  suddenly  and  excessively 
INTIMATE  WITH  STRANGERS,  at  a  first  interview,  and 
especially,  committing  yourself  to  them.  This  is 
a  great  mark  of  precipitancy  and  weakness.  Be  not 
ready  to  trust  every  body.  Confidential  friendship 
is  a  plant  of  slow  growth.  IVIany  people  appear  ex- 
tremely plausible,  and  even  fascinating  at  first  inter- 
view, who  are  utterly  unworthy  of  your  confidence^ 
and  will  be  speedily  discovered  to  be  so. 

20.  Never,  if  you  can  help  it,  put  yourself  in 
THE  power  of  any  MAN.  It  is,  indeed,  a  common 
maxim,  that  you  ought  never  to  put  yourself  in  the 
power  of  any  one  but  tried  friends.  I  would  go  fur- 
ther; never  do  it  in  any  case,  unless  it  be  absolutely 
necessary.  For  example,  if  it  be  impossible  for  yoii, 
to  proceed  in  a  delicate  and  highly  important  matter, 
without  making  a  confidant  of  some  one,  submit  to 
the  necessity.  Make  the  best  choice  you  can.  But, 
on  no  account,  let  your  communication  go  further. 
It  can  do  no  good,  and  may  do  much  harm,  in  ways 
that  you  never  thought  of  anticipating.  The  most 
prudent  and  useful  public  men  I  have  ever  known, 


04  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

were  found  among  those  who  exercised  the  most  im- 
penetrable reserve  respecting  the  delicate  concerns  of 
themselves  and  others.  Who  did  not  impart  the 
knowledge  of  them  even  to  their  nearest  relations. 

21.  When  you  are  called  to  converse  on  a  subject 
concerning  which  there  is  known  to  exist,  or  is 
likely  to  arise,  a  diversity  of  opinion,  in  your  con- 
gregation or  neighbourhood,  do  not  be  forward  to 
deliver  your  opinion  upon  it,  unless  you  feel  impe- 
riously called  by  a  sense  of  duty  to  do  so.  And 
when  you  are  called  to  give  your  opinion  on  such 
a  subject,  be  careful  to  express  it  in  a  manner  as  little 
calculated  as  possible  to  mortify  or  irritate  those  who 
differ  from  you.  Why  should  you  intimate,  that 
those  who  think  otherwise  are  either  "  weak"  or 
"wicked  ?"  You  will  not  be  likely  to  do  good  by 
such  language:  and  it  may  deeply  wound,  and  even 
permanently  alienate,  many  of  your  best  friends. 

22.  Remember  that  a  clergyman  ought  ever  to 
MAINTAIN  PERSONAL  DIGNITY  in  couvcrsation.  This 
is  too  often  forgotten.  Personal  dignity,  in  this  case, 
may  be  impaired,  by  levity,  by  buffoonery,  by  the 
recital  of  low,  vulgar  anecdotes,  by  any  thing,  in 
short,  which  evinces  the  want  of  that  seriousness  and 
self-respect,  which  can  never  be  abandoned  with 
impunity.  Remember  that,  though  it  be  not  only 
lawful,  but  desirable,  that  clergymen  should  be 
affable  and  cheerful :  yet  that  they  can  never  manifest 
a  spirit  of  habitual  levity  and  jesting,  without  giving 
pain  to  all  correct  persons  who  observe  it.  Dr. 
Johnson  was  far  from  being  a  precisian,  either  in  his 
feelings  or  manners;  yet  when  he  saw  a  couple  of 
clergymen  indulging  in  considerable  mirth  and  jollity 


CONVERSATION.  95 

at  a  dinner  tabic,  be  said  vvitb  emotion,  "Tbis  mer- 
riment of  parsons  is  very  disgusting."  And,  truly, 
wben  ministers  of  tbe  gospel,  who  ought  to  set  an 
example  of  dignity,  as  well  as  piety,  undertake  to 
exhibit  themselves  for  the  entertainment  of  company ; 
to  recite  low,  common-place  stories;  and  not  only  to 
repeat,  but  also  to  act  their  narratives,  with  all  the 
circumstances  of  comedy  and  fiirce  which  l^clong  to 
them;  it  cannot  fail  of  giving  pain  to  every  mind  of 
correct  Christian  feeling,  and  of  lowering  the  minis- 
terial character. 

23.  Be  not  ready  to  join  in  noisy  laughter 
against  any  one  who  has  inadvertently  committed  a 
blunder,  either  in  speech  or  action.  It  gives  pain; 
and  is  a  mark  of  very  coarse  breeding.  A  dignified 
command  of  tbe  countenance,  is  a  talent  of  great 
value  to  one  in  a  public  station,  and  adapted  to  save 
him  from  many  an  embarrassing  and  mortifying  oc- 
currence. It  is  a  real  infirmity,  and,  in  a  minister  of 
the  gospel,  an  unhappy  one,  to  be  ever  ready  to  laugh, 
or  to  be  noted  as  a  great  laugher. 

24.  It  is  a  great  offence  against  good  breeding  to 
be  ever  ready  to  turn  the  eyes  of  a  company 
ON  A  certain  individual,  to  whom  some  remark, 
cursorily  made,  is  supposed  to  be  applicable,  and  thus, 
oftentimes,  deeply  to  embarrass  him.  I  have  often 
seen  this  rule  violated  in  the  public  assembly,  as  well 
as  in  the  parlour  A  remark  is  made,  perhaps,  which 
is  levelled  at  the  particular  denomination  or  party  to 
which  an  individual  present  belongs,  or  at  some 
opinion  which  he  holds,  or  some  conduct  with  which 
he  is  known  to  be  chargeable.  In  an  instant,  every 
eye  is  turned  toward  him;  and  perhaps  some  fairly 


96  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

turn  round  in  their  seats,  to  gaze  with  a  smirk,  or  a 
sneer  at  the  supposed  delinquent.  There  is  something 
so  indelicate  in  this,  that  a  person  of  truly  correct 
feeling  will  by  no  means  allow  himself  to  practice  it. 

25.  I  have  long  thought  that  the  practice  of  re- 
tailing ANECDOTES,  was  ouc  by  far  too  much  in- 
dulged by  many  clergymen.  To  be  able  to  tell  a 
seasonable,  appropriate,  short  and  pointed  anecdote, 
now  and  then,  is  certainly  an  accomplishment  by  no 
means  to  be  despised,  and  very  proper  to  be  indulged 
by  a  clergyman,  as  well  as  by  any  other  man.  But 
to  abound  in  them;  to  be  continually  resorting  to 
them;  to  make  the  repetition  of  them  a  favourite 
amusement,  and  one  of  our  characteristics;  is  indeed 
unworthy  of  a  Christian  minister.  I  could  name 
clergymen  who  have  a  set  of  anecdotes,  which  they 
are  constantly  retailing;  some  of  them  very  vulgar; 
a  large  portion  of  them  old  and  perfectly  stale;  not  a 
few  relating  to  ludicrous  citations  and  expositions  of 
Scripture,  and,  of  course,  calculated  to  make  the 
Scriptures  ridiculous  in  the  view  of  many  people; 
and  these,  perhaps,  repeated  the  hundredth  time,  to 
the  loathing  of  many  who  have  heard  them  over  and 
over  again.  A  man  must  have  a  better  memory,  and 
a  I'icher  fund,  than  commonly  fall  to  the  lot  of  the 
retailers  of  anecdotes,  who  does  not  repeat  the  items 
in  his  list,  many  times  over,  to  the  same  individuals. 
But  this  is  not  the  worst.  The  persons  in  question, 
by  the  constant  repetition  of  ludicrous  stories,  have 
insensibly  cherished  in  their  minds  a  habitual  bias 
to  levity,  and  have  come,  at  length  to  be  expected  to 
be  the  general  jesters  for  their  company. 

26.  This  propensity  to  the  incessant  retailing  of 


CONVERSATION.  97 

anecdotes,  becomes  more  highly  exceptionable,  when 
it  leads,  as  it  sometimes  does,  to  the  recital  of  those 
which  include  the  repetition  of  profane  or  obscene 
LANGUAGE.  It  is  in  vain  to  say  that  he  who  only 
repeats  the  story,  is  not  the  author  of  the  language, 
and  by  no  means  expresses  his  approbation  of  it.  If 
the  ear  be  polluted  by  the  words  of  profaneness  and 
obscenity,  it  matters  little  who  first  of  all  uttered 
them.  The  work  of  mischief  is  accumulating  by 
every  repetition;  and  the  desire  of  every  Christian 
ought  to  be  that  it  be  never  heard  again. 

27.  Nearly  allied  to  the  practice  of  constantly  retail- 
ing common-place,  or  unseemly  anecdotes,  is  that  of 
habitually  repeating  old  and  stale  proverbs. 
These,  from  the  circumstance  of  their  having  been 
repeated  so  many  thousand  times,  have  ceased  to 
interest;  and  many  of  them  are  truly  vulgar,  so  that 
to  be  continually  repeating  them,  would  be  really  to 
subject  yourself  to  the  charge  of  habitual  vulgarity. 
The  truth  is,  making  yourself  remarkable  for  the 
frequent  repetition  of  any  particular  form  of  speech, 
or  proverbial  expression,  is  alike  contrary  to  all 
good  taste,  and  good  breeding. 

28.  And  this  leads  me  to  lay  it  down  as  another 
fundamental  principle  of  conversation,  that  nothing 
in  the  least  degree  bordering  on  the  indelicate,  or 
THE  COARSE,  ought  cvcr  to  escape  in  conversation 
from  the  lips  of  a  minister.  If  you  wish  to  know 
how  far  I  would  carry  this  principle,  I  answer,  if 
there  be  a  thought  or  a  word  which  the  inost  delicate 
female  would  shrink  from  uttering  in  a  public  com- 
pany: if  there  be  an  anecdote,  which  the  most  scrupu- 
lous matron  would  be  unwilling  to  relate,  if  all  the 

I 


98  LETTERS  OX  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

world  were  her  hearers;  then  let  no  clergyman 
venture  to  give  utterance  in  mixed  companies,  either 
to  the  one  or  the  other.  His  delicacy  ought  to  be 
quite  as  scrupulous  and  pure  as  that  of  the  most 
refined  lady. 

29.  It  is  one  of  the  most  obvious  dictates  of  good 
manners,  not  to  interrupt  another  person  when 
HE  IS  speaking;  and  yet  how  frequently  is  this  plain 
rule  of  decorum  violated!  To  interrupt  one  in  con- 
versation, almost  always  carries  with  it  an  ofi'ensive 
character.  It  implies  either  that  we  are  not  instructed 
or  interested  by  what  he  is  saying;  that  we  have  not 
patience  to  hear  him  to  the  end,  and  are  anxious  that 
he  should  come  to  a  more  speedy  close;  or  that  we  are 
wiser  than  he,  and  more  competent  to  give  instruc- 
tion on  the  subject  on  which  he  is  speaking;  neither 
of  which  is  consistent  with  that  respect  and  benevo- 
lence which  we  owe  to  those  with  whom  we  converse. 
But,  while  you  sacredly  guard  against  interrupting 
others  in  conversation,  be  not  impatient  of  interrup- 
tion yourself.  Bear  it  with  calmness,  and  without 
the  least  indication  of  irritated  feeling.  Set  it  down 
to  the  score  of  inadvertence,  of  nervous  excitement, 
of  irascible  feeling,  of  constitutional  impatience — 
in  short,  of  any  thing  rather  than  a  design  to  give 
offence,  unless  you  are  compelled  by  unquestion- 
able testimony  to  adopt  this  unfavourable  construc- 
tion. 

30.  Never  allow  yourself  flatly  and  offensively  to 
CONTRADICT  ANY  ONE  with  whom  you  are  conversing, 
provided  you  mean  to  remain  on  good  terms  with 
him.  It  is  always  a  breach  of  good  manners,  and  to 
many  persons  peculiarly  painful  and  embarrassing. 


CONVERSATION.  99 

If  you  suspect,  or  even  if  you  arc  certain,  that  a 
statement  made  is  entirely  incorrect,  instead  of  say- 
ing bluntly  "that  is  false,"  or  "that  is  not  true;" — 
or,  "the  fact  is  not  as  you  state  it;" — how  much 
more  delicate  and  proper  to  say — "Do  you  not  mis- 
take ?" "Are    you    not    misinformed?" "I 

cannot  helj)  thinking  that  you  are  deceived  with  res- 
pect to  that  matter." But,  while  you  never  allow 

yourself  bluntly  or  harshly  to  contradict  others  in  con- 
versation, always  make  a  point  of  bearing  it  patient- 
ly when  you  are  contradicted  yourself.  Remember 
that  it  much  oftener  arises  from  coarseness  of  the  mind, 
and  ignorance  of  propriety,  than  from  any  intention 
to  wound  feelings;  and,  therefore,  ought,  in  common, 
to  be  pitied,  rather  than  resented,  or  made  matter  of 
offence, 

31.  Guard  against  the  indulgence  of  personal 
VANITY  in  conversation.  This  is  a  foible,  or  rather 
a  sin,  which  so  frequently  lowers  the  dignit)^,  and 
interferes  with  the  usefulness  of  men,  otherwise  of 
great  excellence,  that  you  cannot  be  too  careful  to  fly 
from  its  approaches.  In  any  man  it  is  revolting;  but 
in  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  or  in  a  candidate  for  the 
ministry,  it  is  peculiarly  olTensive  and  degrading. 
Let  not  the  excessive  love  of  praise  get  the  posses- 
sion of  your  mind.  Despise  the  petty  and  unworthy 
arts  of  those  who  are  constantly  seeking  to  draw  it 
toward  themselves.  Beware  of  seeming  to  court 
observation  or  attention.  Always  remember  that 
the  larger  your  demands  on  olliers  for  their  respect 
and  admiration,  the  less  they  will  be  disposed  to  yield 
to  you.  No  man  is  so  likely  to  be  both  honoured 
and  loved  as  he  who  a])pears  never  to  think  of  solici- 


100  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

ting  or  desiring  either.  Whereas  he  who  insists  on 
often  dragging  into  view  his  own  excellence,  and 
who  is  continually  blazoning  his  own  talents,  attain- 
ments and  virtues,  will  generally  be  found  to  lose 
reputation  just  in  proportion  as  he  takes  into  his  own 
hands  the  task  of  awarding  it  to  himself. 

32.  Vanity,  in  general,  is  the  parent  of  egotism  in 
conversation; — another  foible,  against  which  I  exhort 
you  to  guard.  "Let  not  the  idea  of  7/ourself  appear 
to  be  always  present  to  your  imagination."  Talk 
not  of  yourself,  your  plans,  your  doings,  or  your 
affairs  in  company,  if  you  can  easily  avoid  it.  Do 
not  embrace  every  opportunity  of  relating  some- 
thing to  your  own  advantage,  or  that  of  your  family, 
or  relatives.  It  can  scarcely  be  done  in  any  shape, 
however  ingenious,  without  having  an  unpleasant 
appearance,  and  had,  therefore,  better  be  omitted 
altogether.  Even  speaking  of  your  own  defects  and 
tveaknesses,  will  be  considered  by  many  as  an  indi- 
rect compliment  to  yourself;  because  it  conveys  the 
idea  that  you  feel  so  secure  in  the  acknowledged 
possession  of  higher  and  nobler  qualities,  that  you 
can  afford  to  be  thought  defective  in  those  of  minor 
importance. 

33.  Do  NOT  AFFECT  WIT  in  conversation.  Wit, 
like  poetry,  to  be  tolerable,  must  be  very  good.  Now? 
very  few  persons  are  possessed  of  this  commodity  in 
its  genuine,  attractive  character.  The  greater  part 
of  what  is  called  wit,  like  most  of  the  versifying  in 
our  world,  is  but  an  humble  and  vapid  im/itation  of 
that  which  it  wishes  to  be  thought.  Never  attempt 
to  force  nature,  then,  in  the  one  case,  any  more  than 
you  would  in  the  other.     Few  things  are  more  un- 


CONVERSATION.  101 

disijnified  and  paltry,  than  to  sec  a  man  inipotently 
struggling  with  attemjjts  at  wit,  when  the  only  thing 
really  ludicrous  about  the  matter  is,  the  utter  failure 
of  the  effort.  The  probability  is  that  you  have  not 
real  wit.  If  you  have,  it  will  occasionally  disclose 
itself  in  spite  of  your  efforts  to  repress  it.  If  you 
have  not,  atlecting  it,  and  trying  to  excite  it,  will 
only  make  you  an  object  of  ridicule.  And,  after  all, 
it  is  not  a  very  desirable  accomplishment  for  a  min- 
ister of  the  gospel.  It  has  been  commonly  found  to 
1)6  a  snare  rather  than  a  treasure  to  those  who  really 
])ossessed  it. 

34.  Do   not   indulge  pedantry   in    conversation. 
By  this  you  will  understand  me  to  mean  a  formal  and 
unseasonable    ostentation   of  learning;    a  fault   into 
which  men  of  superficial  knowledge,  more  particu- 
larly professional  men,  are  extremely  apt  to  fall,  and 
with  which  some  clergymen,  and  especially  young 
clergymen,  are  frequently  chargeable.     If  you  have 
ever  so  much  learning,  there  is  littleness  in  making 
a  parade  of  it;  and  if  you  have  but  a  small  portion, 
there  is  something  bordering  on  dishonesty  in  vaunt- 
ing it  as  if  you  had  much.     The  best  rule  in  the 
world  on  this  subject  is,  to  get  as  much  knowledge 
of  every  valuable  kind  as  you  can;  and   never  to 
make  any  further  display  of  it  than  the  discharge  of 
your  duty  necessarily  demands.     If  you  were  to  hear 
a  physician  or  lawyer  holding  forth,  in  a  mixed  com- 
pany, on  the  technicalities  and  the  recondite  lore  of 
his  profession,  would  you  not  be  disposed  to  smile  ? 
And  ought  you  not  to  guard  against  exciting  a  smile 
in  others  by  similar  conduct  on  your  own  part  ? 
35.  Both  the  spirit  and  the  language  of  flat- 
1  '■ 


102  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS, 

TERY  in  conversation,  ai'c  utterly  unworthy  of  an 
ambassador  of  Christ.  In  any  man  it  is  base;  but  in 
him  who  ought  to  be  a  pattern  and  a  leader  in  all 
that  is  good,  it  is  pre-eminently  base.  Yet  there  are 
clergymen  who  are  by  no  means  free  froin  this  charge. 
Their  opinions  of  so  many  persons  and  things  are 
either  openly  solicited,  or  indirectly  required;  and 
their  temptations  to  gratify  the  feelings  of  so  many 
different  classes  of  people,  are  so  powerful,  that  they 
are  not  always  able  to  resist  them.  I  will  not  sup- 
pose any  one  who  bears  the  sacred  office,  to  be  so 
unprincipled  as  to  indulge  in  the  habit  of  indis- 
criminate Jlattery,  which,  as  it  must  defeat  its  own 
purpose,  is  as  foolish  and  contemptible,  as  it  is  wicked. 
But  what  I  warn  you  against,  is  that  delicate  flattery, 
to  which  many  good  men  are  prone;  which  frequently 
disguises  itself  under  the  name  of  benevolence; 
and  of  which,  perhaps,  the  poison  is  the  more  dele- 
terious, because  it  is  so  delicately  and  sparingly  ad- 
ministered. Never  flatter  any  one.  Never  make 
your  praise  cheap.  It  is  not  sinful,  indeed,  to  com- 
mend another,  where  commendation  is  really  de- 
served; but  let  it  be  bestowed  at  a  proper  time  and 
place;  and  be  conscientious  in  falling  short  of  what 
is  due,  rather  than  going  beyond  it.  Remember  how 
inflammahle  a  thing  human  vanity  is;  and  guard 
against  the  risk  of  kindling  it  into  a  flame.  He  that 
Jlattereth  his  neighbour,  says  the  wise  man,  spread- 
eth  a  net  for  his  feet. 

36.  And  as  I  would  warn  you  against  flattering 
others;  so  I  would  warn  you,  with  no  less  solemnity, 
against  inviting  commendation  and  flattery 
FROM  others  to  YOURSELF.     Nothing  is  more  com- 


rONVERSATION.  103 

mon,  than  what  is  most  expressively  called,  "  fishing 
for  praise."  Sometimes  it  is  almost  extorted;  and 
what  is  it  then  worth  ?  Despise  the  littleness,  as 
well  as  ahhor  the  sin,  of  this  miserable  beggary.  I 
have  known  ministers  who  were  in  the  constant 
habit,  immediately  after  descending  from  the  pulpit, 
if  they  fell  in  with  a  brother  clergyman,  of  asking 
him  his  opinion  of  the  sermon  which  he  had  just 
heard.  Where  such  inquiries  are  confined  to  very 
intimate  friends,  they  are,  perhaps,  not  to  be  wholly 
blamed;  altliough  even  then,  they  are  in  a  greater  or 
less  degree,  indications  of  vanity,  and  spread  a  snare 
for  the  honesty  of  our  friends,  and  had  better  be 
omitted.  But  when  addressed,  as  I  have  known 
tliem  to  be,  to  strangers  as  well  as  friends,  there  is  a 
littleness  about  them  truly  contemptible.  The  same 
general  remark  may  be  applied  to  those  cases  in 
which,  though  there  be  not  a  direct  solicitation  to 
praise  a  discourse;  there  is  evidently  a  door  opened 
for  that  purpose.  I  once  knew  a  clergyman,  who, 
so  far  as  I  had  an  opportunity  of  observing,  never 
failed  of  saying,  to  every  hearer  whom  he  fell  in 
with,  for  half  an  hour  or  an  hour  after  the  close  of 
his  own  sermon,  sabbath  after  sabbath — "  We've  had 
a  very  solemn  subject  to-day."  This  I  have  heard 
him  repeat  and  repeat,  until  it  became  perfectly 
nauseating;  and  have  observed  him  to  bow  and 
smile  with  much  complacency,  when  his  own  in- 
direct compliment  to  his  sermon,  drew  from  one 
good-natured  auditor  after  another,  a  dose  of  flattery. 
37.  Do  not  SPEAK  op  your  own  performances 
AT  ALL,  after  they  are  brought  to  a  close,  if  you  can, 
consistently  with  duty,  avoid  it.     If  you  appear  saiis- 


104  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

fied  with  them,  it  will  be  thought  vanity.  If  you 
profess  yourself  dissatisfied,  it  will  be  considered  as 
an  indirect  method  of  inviting  praise.  If  you 
merely  make  the  general  subject  on  which  you  have 
been  discoursing,  the  subject  of  conversation  in  com- 
pany, afterwards,  even  with  the  purest  motives,  it 
will  be  apt  to  be  misconstrued  as  an  ingenious  device 
to  extort  commendation  for  what  you  have  done. 
Never  boast,  on  the  one  hand,  of  the  length  of  time, 
or  the  care  which  you  have  bestowed  on  your  dis- 
courses; or,  on  the  other,  of  the  expedition  and  ease 
with  which  you  prepare  them.  Never  allow  yourself 
to  talk  at  all  on  such  subjects,  unless  you  are  com- 
pelled to  do  it.  A  thousand  other  subjects,  more 
likely,  in  those  circumstances,  to  be  useful,  lie  before 
you.  If  a  discourse  which  you  have  delivered  be 
commended  in  your  presence,  do  not  appear  either 
to  be  too  much  gratified  with  the  commendation,  or 
to  despise  it.  Receive  the  compliment  either  with 
respectful  silence,  with  a  slight  bow,  or  with  the 
shortest  possible  expression  of  thanks;  and,  as  soon 
as  is  consistent  with  courtesy,  change  the  subject. 

38.  Some  persons,  under  the  notion  of  avoiding 
formalit}'  and  flattery,  give  way  to  a  rude  fa- 
miliarity, which  they  call,  indeed,  by  some  favoura- 
ble name;  but  which  deserves  to  be  severely  repro- 
bated. I  have  often  known  young  preachers,  when 
they  had  become  a  little  familiar  with  their  com- 
panions, in  the  habit,  when  addressing  them,  of 
calling  them  by  their  Christian  names  only,  or  by 
their  surnames  only;  and  indulging  habitually,  not 
merely  in  the  freedom,  but  also  in  all  the  coarseness 
of  unbridled  raillery.      Rely   upon    it,   this   is,   in 


CONVERSATION.  105 

general,  not  wise.  Mutual  dignity,  and  mutual 
respect,  arc  indispensable  to  the  continued  existence 
of  Christian  friendship,  in  its  most  pure,  delicate,  and 
profitable  form.  If  you  wish  to  maintain  such  friend- 
ship, be  free  and  unconstrained;  but  never  indulge 
in  rude  and  coarse  familiarity.  Those  who  are 
wortliy  of  your  love,  will  certainly  be  repelled  rather 
than  attracted  Jjy  it. 

39.  When  I  remind  you  of  the  importance  of 
maintaining  a  constant  regakd  to  truth  in  con- 
versation, you  will  consider  me  as  enforcing  a  plain 
point  in  ethics,  whicli  no  one  can  dispute.  But  I 
wish  to  go  further  than  this  language  will  be  popu- 
larly considered  as  importing.  I  mean  much  more 
than  that  a  minister  of  the  gospel  ought  to  avoid 
downright  lying  in  company,  whether  the  object  of 
the  lie  be  to  flatter,  or  to  injure.  It  ought  to  be  his 
object,  in  making  every  statement,  in  repeating  the 
most  trivial  narrative,  to  guard  as  carefully  against 
misrepresenting,  or  exaggerating  any  fact,  as  if  he 
were  on  oath;  to  give  no  false  colouring,  no  over 
colouring,  and  not,  even  in  jest,  to  misstate  the 
smallest  circumstance.  I  have  had  the  happiness  to 
be  acquainted  with  a  few  men  whose  habits  were  of 
this  kind;  and  it  was  delightful  to  observe  what 
weight  it  imparted  to  their  word;  and  how  com- 
pletely they  were  delivered  from  all  those  trouble- 
some explanations  and  retractions,  to  which  the  less 
scrupulous  were  constantly  exposed. 

40.  Be  strictly  attentive  to  the  circumstances  of 
TIME,  place,  and  co:mpany  in  conversation.  Look 
round  the  room,  before  you  introduce  a  particular 
new  topic,  and  ask  yourself,  whether  it  is  a  suitable 


106  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

one  for  that  company  ?  Or,  whether  there  be  any 
individuals  present  to  whom  it  may  be  peculiarly 
unwelcome  or  embarrassing  ?  There  is  an  old 
French  proverb,  the  import  of  which  is — "  Be  care- 
ful never  to  mention  a  rope  in  the  family  of  a  man 
who  has  been  hanged."  It  is  a  proverb  full  of  good 
sense,  and  social  delicacy.  Yet  nothing  is  more 
common  than  to  see  persons  of  absent  or  coarse 
minds,  violating  this  rule.  They  introduce  subjects, 
or  indulge  remarks,  calculated  to  wound  the  feelings 
of  some  of  the  most  estimable  individuals  present; 
and  this,  not  for  the  laudable  parpose  of  benefiting 
the  individuals  in  question,  or  of  bearing  an  honest 
testimony  against  vice;  but  from  mere  inadvertence 
or  want  of  feeling.  Think,  therefore,  before  you 
speak,  not  only  ivhat  you  are  about  to  say,  but  also 
io  whom  you  are  about  to  address  it.  It  is  said,  that 
Bishop  Burnet  was  so  apt  to  wound  the  feelings  of 
those  with  whom  he  was  conversing,  by  an  infraction 
of  this  rule,  from  mere  absence  of  mind,  that  some  of 
his  best  friends  were  afraid  of  introducing  him  to 
distinguished  strangers,  lest  he  should  embarrass 
them  as  well  as  himself  by  an  infirmity,  which,  if  its 
eflnets  had  not  been  sometimes  so  painful,  would 
have  been  often  unspeakably  ludicrous.  Direct  par- 
ticular attention  to  this  object;  and  it  will  soon 
become  as  much  a  fixed  habit  of  your  mind  to  advert 
to  \\\Q,  jiersons  addressed  in  every  conversation,  as  to 
any  other  circumstance  attending  the  communication. 
41.  When  any  persons  impart  to  you  a  knowledge 
of  facts  in  confidence,  make  a  point  of  being  deli- 
cately   FAITHFUL    TO     THE    TRUST    COMMITTED    TO 

you.     It  not  unfrequently  happens  that  the  sick  and 


CONVERSATION.  107 

the  dying;  persons  in  difficulty  and  distress;  and 
persons  under  anxiety  of  mind  respecting  their  eternal 
state,  make  communications  in  confidence  to  minis- 
ters of  the  gospel;  under  the  impression  that  they, of 
all  men,  may  be  most  safely  trusted.  In  every  such 
case,  preserve  the  most  inviolable  secresy.  But 
there  are  many  other  cases,  in  which,  though  no 
formal  injunction  of  secresy  is  expressed,  still  it  ought 
by  all  means  to  be  understood,  by  every  delicately 
prudent  mind.  We  all  know  how  frequentlj*,  and 
with  what  strict  honour  professional  secrets  are  kept 
by  lawyers  and  physicians;  and  I  have  long  been  of 
the  opinion  that  habits  of  more  strict  reserve  than 
have  commonly  been  thought  needful,  ought  to  be 
maintained  by  clergymen,  with  regard  to  all  commu- 
nications made  to  them,  as  such;  whether  formally 
confidential  or  not;  and  that  even  after  an  ordinary 
conversation  on  any  delicate  or  important  subject,  it 
is  always  best  to  avoid  repeating  what  has  been  com- 
municated. No  one  can  tell  how  many  things  may 
occur  which  may  render  it  peculiarly  important  that 
he  should  have  kept  it  to  himself.  You  may  publish 
your  own  secrets,  if  you  choose  to  be  weak  enough 
to  do  so;  but  you  have  no  right  to  publish  those  of 
others.  In  general,  a  public  man  ought  to  repeat 
very  little  of  what  is  communicated  to  him.  It  can 
do  no  harm,  in  common  cases,  to  keep  it  secret,  while 
the  mischiefs  of  disclosing  it  may  be  endless. 

42.  It  is  the  fault  of  many  to  be  loud,  and  even 
BOISTEROUS,  in  conversation.  If  the  company  be 
ever  so  large,  the  moment  they  become  a  little  en- 
gaged and  animated,  they  speak  loud  enough  not 
only  to  I.e  heard  in  every  part  of  the  room,  but  so 


108  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

as  to  attract  and  even  force  the  attention  of  the 
whole  company;  and  that,  perhaps,  when  conversing 
on  a  subject  which  ought  not  to  be  a  matter  of  such 
public  proclamation.  There  is  no  little  indelicacy  in 
this.  When  you  are  publicly  addressed,  across  a  room, 
in  such  a  manner  as  plainly  evinces  a  desire  that  the 
whole  company  should  hear  your  answer:  let  your 
reply  be  audible,  but  not  loud.  Let  mildness  and 
dignity  mark  every  word  you  utter. 

43.  Guard  against  the  too  frequent  use  or 
SUPERLATIVES  in  your  social  intercourse.  Persons 
of  ardent,  impetuous  minds,  and  especially  the  young, 
are  apt  to  manifest  an  undue  fondness  for  the  super- 
lative degree  in  conversation.  If  they  praise  any 
person  or  thing,  they  seem  to  think  of  using  no  epi- 
thets but  those  which  indicate  the  highest  grade  of 
excellence.  If  they  commend  any  one's  talents, 
they  are  sure  to  represent  them  as  of  "  the  highest 
order."  If  they  would  speak  well  of  a  sermon,  they 
pronounce  it  "  incomparably  excellent."  On  the 
contrary,  if  they  undertake  to  express  an  unfavoura- 
ble opinion,  the  terms,  "  contemptible,"  "  execrable," 
"detestable,"  are  the  softest  which  they  think  of 
employing.  In  short,  the  more  high  wrought  their 
figures,  and  the  more  intense  and  ardent  their  whole 
style  of  expression,  the  more  interesting  they  sup- 
pose their  conversation  to  be.  Let  me  entreat  you 
to  guard  against  the  habitual  use  of  this  vehemence 
and  intensity  of  language.  It  is  seldom  called  for. 
Men  of  sense  and  good  taste  rarely  permit  themselves 
to  employ  it.  A  strict  regard  to  truth  generally 
forbids  it.  And  with  respect  to  those  who  are  in  the 
habit  of  employing  it,  both  their  praise  and  their 


CONVERSATION'.  109 

blame  soon  become  cheap,  and,  at  length,  worthless. 
He  who  wishes  his  approhation  or  his  censure  to  go 
for  much,  must  not  be  very  lavish  of  either. 

44.  Seek  all  convenient  opportunities  of  convers- 
ing   WITH    THE    EMINENTLY    WISE    AND    GOOD,    and 

OF  LISTENING  TO  THEIR  CONVERSATION.  Espe- 
cially when  you  are  engaged  in  investigating  an  im- 
])ortant  subject,  endeavour,  if  possible,  to  enjoy  the 
privilege  of  conversing  on  that  subject  with  some 
individual,  and  even  with  more  than  one,  of  profound 
views,  and  extensive  reading.  You  may  often  learn 
more  in  an  hour,  by  conversing  with  such  an  one, 
than  by  the  solitary  reading  or  meditation  of  a  month. 
Dr.  Franklin,  once  told  a  friend,  that  some  of  his 
most  original  thoughts  were  suggested  by  the  colli- 
sion of  conversation;  and  that,  too,  very  often,  upon 
subjects  foreign  to  those  on  which  he  was  conversing. 
And  Mr.  Fox,  the  far-famed  parliamentary  orator, 
declared  in  the  British  House  of  Commons,  that  he 
had  learned  more  from  Mr.  Bicrke^s  conversation 
than  from  all  the  books  he  had  ever  read  in  his  life.* 

45.  Finall}-;  be  constantly  and  vigilantly 
OBSERVANT  of  the  habits  in  conversation  of  those 
persons  who  are  considered  as  most  pleasant  and  ac- 
ceptable in  this  department  of  social  intercourse.  In 
every  community  there  are  those  who  are  universally 
allowed  to  excel  in  colloquial  accomplishments.  Now 
it  wull  be  very  unwise  to  be  humble  imitators  of 
such  persons;  but  it  will,  undoubtedly,  be  the  part  of 
wisdom  to  take  notice  of  the  means  by  which  they 
attain  success;  and  to  make  such  use  of  what  you  see, 

•  Ruslia  Introductory  Lectures,  p.  349. 
K 


110  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

as  your  own  particular  habits,  and  character  may 
render  proper.  I  doubt  whether  any  man  ever  ac- 
quired much  excellence  in  this  important  art,  without 
the  happy  talent  of  close  observation,  and,  in  this 
way,  as  well  as  by  his  own  good  sense,  making  him- 
self master  of  the  proprieties  and  delicacies  which 
become  the  social  circle. 


LETTER    V 


Let  your  speech  be  always  with  grace  seasoned  with  salt. —  Col.  iv.  6. 


RELIGIOUS  CONVERSATION. 

My  dear  young  friend, 

To  be  able  to  introduce  the  great  subject  of  reli- 
gion, in  an  easy,  seasonable,  and  acceptable  manner, 
in  the  daily  intercourse  of  society,  is  a  most  precious 
talent,  the  uses  of  which  are  more  various,  more  rich, 
more  numerous,  and  more  important,  than  almost 
any  that  can  be  mentioned. 

That  this  ability,  when  it  exists  in  a  high  degree, 
is,  in  part,  a  natural  talent,  cannot  be  doubted.  The 
physical  temperament  of  some  men  is  much  more 
favourable  to  the  ready  and  unconstrained  perform- 
ance of  the  duty  in  question,  than  that  of  many 
others.  IVIore  stress,  however,  I  apprehend,  has 
been  sometimes  laid  on  this  fact,  than  there  ought  to 
have  been.  Not  a  few  allege  that  they  have  "  no 
gift"  of  this  kind,  and,  therefore,  content  themselves 
in  the  habitual  neglect  of  the  duty.  At  any  rate, 
they  rarely  attempt  it,  and  think  that  they  cannot 
perform  it,  even  tolerably.  But  it  would  be  just  as 
reasonable  to  plead,  because  an  easy,  pleasant,  and 
attractive  elocution  is  natural,  in  a  peculiar  degree,  to 


112  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

some,  that  therefore  others  who  cannot  attain  equal 
excellence  in  this  respect,  ought  not  to  attempt  to 
speak  at  all.  The  fact  is,  the  power  of  introducing 
and  maintaining  religious  conversation  well,  though 
to  a  certain  extent,  a  natural  gift,  is  yet  capable  of 
GREAT  IMPROVEMENT,  nay,  it  may  be  said,  of  un- 
limited improvement;  and  the  true  reason,  no 
doubt,  Vv^hy  some  persons,  of  plain  talents,  and  with 
even  striking  disadvantages  of  physical  temperament, 
yet  excel  in  this  happy  art,  is  that  they  have  taken 
pains  to  cultivate  a  talent  so  peculiarly  precious 
to  the  pious  mind,  and  so  manifestly  useful  in  all  the 
intercourse  of  life.  To  what  appear  to  me  some  of 
the  best  means  of  carrying  on  this  cultivation,  I  shall 
advert  before  closing  the  present  letter. 

My  first  object  shall  be  to  point  out  some  er- 
rors, in  relation  to  this  subject,  which  appear  to  me 
to  be  prevalent;  and  this  will  prepare  the  way  for  a 
few  general  counsels  for  conducting  religious  conver- 
sation; and  also  for  cultivating  a  happy  talent  for 
the  discharge  of  this  part  of  Christian  and  ministerial 
duty. 

1.  It  is  an  error  to  suppose  that  religious  conver- 
sation must  be  introduced  on  all  occasions,  and  in  all 
companies,  indiscriminately,  whether  the  time,  the 
character  of  the  persons  present,  and  the  circum- 
stances, favour  It  or  not.  No  doubt  many  who  have 
but  little  taste  for  such  conversation,  omit  to  intro- 
duce it,  under  the  plea  that  there  is  "  no  good  oppor- 
tunity," when  it  is  really  otherwise.  But  there  can 
1)6  as  little  doubt,  that  there  are  many  occasions,  in 
which  no  suitable  opening  for  it  is  presented.  On 
such  occasions,  to  drag  forward  th?  subject,  in  a  for-' 


RELIGIOUS  CONVERSATION.  113 

mal  manner,  and,  as  it  were,  "  by  main  force,"  is 
never  judicious,  and  often  very  revolting.  It  fre- 
quently has  the  appearance  of  being  done  as  a  kind 
of  official  task,  which  is  never  likely  to  do  good.  Be 
always  on  the  watch  for  opportunities  of  saying 
something  for  the  honour  of  your  Master,  and  for 
the  welfare  of  the  souls  of  men;  but  do  not  think  it 
your  duty  to  compel  people  to  listen  to  you  on 
this  most  sacred,  important  and  delicate  of  all  sub- 
jects, when  their  character,  their  situation  and  their 
employment  evidently  close  up  every  suitable  ave- 
nue of  approach. 

2.  It  is  an  error  to  imagine  that  the  same  methods 
of  introducing  and  maintaining  religious  conversa- 
tion, are  equally  adapted  to  all  persons,  and  all  occa- 
sions. If  I  am  not  deceived,  many  adopt  the  notion 
that  the  very  same  plan  of  approach  will  answer  in 
all  cases,  for  the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  learned  and 
the  illiterate,  the  occupant  of  high  office,  and  the 
most  unpretending,  obscure  citizen.  This  is  to  set  at 
naught  all  the  principles  of  human  nature,  and  to  for- 
get that  the  circumstances  of  men  have  much  effect 
in  modifying  their  feelings  and  character.  If  we 
open  the  Bible,  we  shall  see  ample  warrant  for  ad- 
dressing some  persons  on  this  subject  unceremoni- 
ously and  directly;  and  others  in  a  more  cautious  and 
circuitous  manner.  In  this  sense,  we  ought,  with 
the  apostle,  to  "  become  all  things  to  all  men,  that  we 
may  gain  some;;"  not  by  flattering  their  prejudices, 
or  countenancing  their  corruptions;  but  by  endea- 
vouring skilfully  to  adapt  our  instructions  and  exhor- 
tations to  their  several  habits,  attainments,  circum- 
stances, and  taste.     Those  who  are  most  intelligent, 


114  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

and  whose  pride  would  be  most  apt  to  be  offended 
by  an  abrupt  address,  might  be  approached,  and  per- 
haps won,  in  an  indirect  and  gradual  manner.  There 
are  thousands  to  whom  I  might  safely  say — "  Pray, 
sir,  do  you  cherish  the  hope  that  you  are  a  real 
Christian  ?"  But  there  are  many  others,  to  whom  if 
I  were  to  address  such  a  question,  I  should  expect  to 
be  shut  out  from  all  opportunity  of  approaching  or 
benefiting  them  afterwards.  Yet  the  very  same  peo- 
ple might,  by  a  little  address,  be  insensibly  drawn 
into  a  free  conversation  on  the  same  subject,  and  to 
answer  that  very  question  without  the  least  offence. 
This  is  one  of  the  many  cases  in  which  some  know- 
ledge of  human  nature  and  of  the  world  is  essential 
to  a  wise  discharge  of  duty.  Nor  is  it  a  valid  objec- 
tion to  this  counsel  to  say,  that,  if  we  follow  it,  we 
may  be  tempted  to  defer  too  much  to  human  rank, 
and  corrupt  refinement.  There  is,  no  doubt,  danger 
on  this  quarter,  against  which  we  ought  to  guard. 
But  the  abuse  of  a  thing,  is  not  a  legitimate  argument 
against  its  use.  Counterfeits  do  not  prove  that  there 
is  no  true  money,  but  rather  the  reverse. 

3.  Another  very  common  error,  in  religious  con- 
versation, is  TO  SAY  TOO  MUCH.  A  man  may  be  "  too 
full  of  talk"  on  this,  as  well  as  on  any  other  subject. 
That  is,  he  may  talk  so  much  and  so  long,  as  to  be- 
come "  a  weariness"  even  to  his  pious  hearers,  and 
much  more  to  those  who  are  not  pious.  This  is  far 
from  being  a  rare  occurrence;  and  it  becomes  espe- 
cially an  evil,  when  the  pious  sentiments  uttered,  are 
all  of  the  most  common-place  sort;  and,  not  only  so, 
but  dealt  out  in  that  common-place,  task-like  manner, 
which  very  seldom  makes  a  favourable  impression 


TIELIGIOUS  CONVERSATION.  115 

among  disccrninf!;  people.  Guard,  then,  against  "  ex- 
cessive talkativeness,"  even  here.  Let  what  you  say 
on  this  suhject  be  a  real  "  conversation."  Let  one 
object  of  your  address  be,  to  induce  others  to  talk, 
and  disclose  their  sentiments  and  feelings,  that  you 
may  know  how  to  answer  them.  Let  your  part  of 
the  discussion  be  as  lively,  pointed,  and  short  as  you 
can  make  it.  Never  allow  it  to  degenerate  into  for- 
mal, tedious  preaching,  or  rather  prosing. 

4.  Once  more,  it  is  the  error  of  some  to  imagine 
that  religious  conversation  is  to  be  crrried  on  with  a 
tone  of  voice,  and  an  aspect  of  countenance,  peculiar 
to  itself.  Hence,  while  these  persons  converse  on 
all  other  subjects  in  a  simple,  easy,  natural  manner, 
the  moment  they  pass  to  the  subject  of  religion,  their 
whole  manner  is  changed.  It  becomes  formal  and 
artificial;  so  that  you  would  scarcely  know  them  to 
be  the  same  persons  who  had  been  a  few  minutes  be- 
fore conversing  on  ordinary  subjects.  This  is  a  fault 
as  unreasonable  as  it  is  repulsive.  Why  should  men 
cease  to  speak  naturally,  when  they  come  to  speak 
on  a  subject  the  most  interesting  and  delightful  in 
the  world  ?  Shun  this  fault  with  the  utmost  care. 
Do  not,  indeed,  allow  yourself  to  fall  into  the  oppo- 
site extreme. — I  mean  talking  on  the  subject  of  re- 
ligion with  levity.  But,  at  the  same  time,  let  all 
grimace,  all  sanctimoniousness  of  manner,  all  affected 
solemnity,  all  lofty  dictation,  be  carefully  avoided. 
The  more  simple,  affable,  and  entirely  inartificial 
your  manner,  the  more  you  will  gratify  all  classes; 
nor  is  this  all;  the  more  easy  will  you  always  find  it 
to  slide  insensibly  into  religious  conversation,  with- 
out alarming  the  fears  of  the  most  thoughtless;  and 


116  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

the  more  easy  to  recur  to  it  again,  after  a  little  inter- 
ruption from  other  topics. 

But,  to  guard  against  these  errors,  is  not  all  that 
is  incumbent  upon  you  in  privately  conversing  with 
men  on  their  eternal  interests.  My  next  object,  then, 
shall  be  to  offer  a  few  counsels,  which  I  would  fain 
hope  may  not  be  altogether  useless.     And, 

1.  My  first  counsel  is,  that  you  make  a  point  of 

INTRODUCING  RELIGIOUS  CONVERSATION,  WHENEVER 
YOU  HAVE  A  GOOD  OPPORTUNITY,  AND  THAT  YOU 
ABOUND  IN  IT   WHEREVER  YOU  GO. 

It  is  melancholy  to  think  how  many  hours  minis- 
ters spend  in  company,  without  saying  a  word  to  re- 
commend either  the  service  or  kingdom  of  their 
Master.  Nay,  some  of  these  hours  are  spent  in  the 
company  of  the  truly  pious,  with  whom  there  is  no 
obstacle  to  religious  conversation;  who  expect  it;  who 
desire  it;  and  who  are  disappointed  at  not  finding  it 
introduced.  To  be  backward  in  introducing  it  in 
such  company  is  unpardonable.  But  this  is  not  all. 
In  every  company  and  in  every  situation,  be  on  the 
watch  for  opportunities  to  speak  a  word  for  Christ. 
And  when  you  do  not  find  opportunities,  by  a  little 
address,  you  may  moke  them:  and  you  will  often  do 
so,  if  you  have  as  eager,  and  as  incessant  desire  to  do 
good,  as  the  miser  has  to  turn  every  thing  into  the 
channel  of  gain,  and  the  ambitious  man  to  gather 
laurels  from  all  quarters.  I  have  often  been  struck 
with  that  passage,  in  which  the  apostle  Paul,  when 
writing  to  the  Hebrews  concerning  ministers,  says — 
"  They  watch  for  souls."  And,  truly,  the  minister 
who  acts  on  the  principles  of  enlightened  fidelity 
will  thus  "  watch,"  not  only  in  the  pulpit,  but  daily, 


RELIGIOUS  CONVERSATION.  117 

and  in  all  the  walks  of  private  intercourse.  Let  me 
entreat  you,  then,  to  lose  no  good  opportunity  of 
conversing  on  the  most  precious  of  all  subjects.  Let 
your  conversation,  continually  be  "  with  grace,  sea- 
soned with  salt,  that  it  may  minister  grace  to  the 
hearers.^'  You  may  say  a  thousand  useful  things  in 
private  conversation,  which  you  never  could  utter  in 
the  pulpit.  You  may  answer  questions,  solve  scru- 
ples, obviate  objections,  reprove  faults,  and  commu- 
nicate knowledge  in  the  parlour,  which  could  by  no 
means  be  brought  into  the  sanctuary.  Above  all,  in 
many  cases  of  private  discourse  you  may  come  near 
to  the  heart  and  the  conscience,  and  adapt  your  in- 
structions to  individual  exigencies,  in  a  way  alto- 
gether impracticable  in  addressing  a  public  assembly. 
It  has,  therefore,  often  occurred  to  me  as  a  fact  equal- 
]}'  wonderful  and  humiliating,  that  ('hrislian  ministers 
are  not  commonly  more  vigilant  in  availing  them- 
selves of  this  advantage,  and  more  unceasing  in  the 
use  of  it:  that  their  minds  are  not  found  teeming 
with  good  thoughts,  pious  hints,  and  instructive, 
w^eighty  sentiments,  as  well  as  direct  addresses, 
wherever  they  go. 

2.  Cultivate    the   important  art  of  introducing 

CONVERSATION  ON  THE  SUBJECT    OF    RELIGION  IN  AN 

EASY  AND  HAPPY  MANNER,  One  of  the  greatest  diffi- 
culties attending  this  whole  subject  is  to  begin  well. 
A  formal  introduction  of  the  subject;  an  introduc- 
tion which,  as  it  were,  announces  beforehand  the 
intention  of  talking  piously;  and  which,  of  course, 
excites  the  fears  of  those  who  have  no  taste  for  such 
ponversation,  ought  certainly,  in  ordinary  cases,  to 
be  avoided.     No  less  undesirable  is  an  abrupt  com- 


118  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

mencement  of  this  species  of  conversation,  that  is, 
suddenly  entering  upon  it,  when  something  very 
diflerent  had  been,  the  instant  before,  the  subject  of 
discourse.  But  why  should  we  ever  do  either  of 
these  ?  What  subject  can  possibly  be  started,  by  any 
individual,  or  in  any  company,  which  a  man  of  good 
sense,  and  whose  heart  is  filled  with  pious  and  be- 
nevolent emotions,  may  not  soon,  and  without  vio- 
lence, convert  into  a  medium  of  some  useful  sugges- 
tions on  the  subject  of  religion  ?  The  state  of  the 
weather;  the  prospects  of  the  husbandman;  the  news 
of  the  day;  an  ordinary  domestic  occurrence;  the 
return  of  spring;  the  approach  of  autumn;  or  an  ac- 
cident on  the  road; — these,  or  any  analogous  topics 
which  may  be  hinted  at,  furnish  ample  occasions  for 
the  introduction  of  pious  sentiments;  insomuch  that 
a  social  circle,  might,  by  a  person  of  tolerable  address, 
and  of  the  proper  spirit,  be  translated  from  the  region 
of  perfect  levity,  to  the  region  of  serious  and  devout 
reflection,  before  they  were  aware  that  the  transition 
was  intended.  This  is  a  happy  art.  All  may  learn 
it  who  will  be  vigilant  enough,  and  take  pains 
enough  for  the  purpose.  With  a  moderate  knowledge 
of  human  nature;  a  tolerable  address;  a  little  atten- 
tion to  incidents  as  they  arise;  and  a  heart  glowing 
with  a  desire  to  do  good,  the  task  is  easy.  "  Covet 
earnestly  this  gift;"  labour  without  ceasing  to  make 
it;  and  you  will  not  labour  in  vain. 

3.  Let   your   conversation    be   adapteb  to  the 

CHARACTER     OF      THE     COMPANY     INTO     WHICH     YOU 

MAY  HAPPEN  TO  BE  THROWN.  If  the  company  vvith 
which  you  are  called  to  converse,  be  all  professors 
of  religion,  there  will,  ordinarily,  be  little  difficulty 


RELIGIOUS  CONVERSATION.  119 

in  adapting  your  discourse  to  tliem;  for  you  may 
speak  directly  and  pointedly  on  any  topic  which 
occurs  as  important.  Especially,  you  may  enter  with 
freedom  into  all  the  refreshing  richness  of  conversa- 
tion on  Christian  experience.  If,  on  the  contrary, 
the  company  consist  altogether  of  gay  and  worldly 
people,  your  utmost  ingenuity  will  often  be  put  to 
the  test  in  leading  them  on  to  instructive  and  edify- 
ing, as  well  as  pleasant  discourse.  Yet  even  this  may 
be  done,  if  you  take  them  by  the  right  handle. 
When  the  circle  in  which  you  are  seated,  as  will  be 
apt  more  frequently  to  happen,  is  made  up  partly  of 
professors  of  religion,  and  partly  of  tliose  who  are 
not  so,  a  very  happy  use  may  be  made  of  ih&  former, 
as  a  medium  of  conveying  instruction  to  the  lattei*. 
As  it  is  oftentimes  one  of  the  most  effectual  modes  of 
addressing  parents,  to  do  it  through  the  medium  of 
their  children;  so  we  may  frequently  speak  to  the 
worldly  and  thoughtless  most  impressively  through 
the  medium  of  the  pious,  who  are  seated  in  their 
presence.  In  short,  study  diligently  the  different 
tastes  and  habits  of  the  aged  and  the  young,  the 
polished  and  the  rough,  the  learned  and  the  illiterate, 
the  fashionable  and  the  plain,  in  whose  society  you 
may  find  yourself;  and  endeavour  to  have  "a  word 
in  season,"  a  set  of  topics,  and  a  mode  of  treating 
them,  adapted  to  their  several  characters. 

4.  Guard  against  giving  your  remarks  on  religion, 
in  the  social  circle,  an  air  of  dictation  and  au- 
thority. This  caution,  which  was  mentioned  be- 
fore in  reference  to  common  conversation,  is  no  less 
important  in  reference  to  the  subject  of  religion. 
Ministers,  from  the  circumstance  of  their  being  so 


120  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

much  accustomed  to  speak  with  authority,  from  the 
pulpit,  are  apt,  spontaneously,  and  even  insensibly, 
to  fall  into  a  similar  manner  of  speaking  in  private; 
to  be  impatient  of  contradiction;  and  to  feel,  when 
their  opinions  are  in  any  measure  controverted,  as  if 
their  official  dignity  were  invaded.  Let  no  spirit  or 
feeling  of  this  kind  intrude  into  your  social  inter- 
course. The  more  entirely  you  can  divest  yourself 
of  it,  and  sit  down  with  your  friends  and  associates 
on  terms  of  perfect  equality,  as  a  friend  and  brother, 
who  claims  no  authority  over  their  consciences,  but 
is  actuated  supremely  by  a  regard  to  their  temporal 
and  eternal  interest,  the  more  easy  and  affectionate 
will  your  conversation  be,  and  the  more  likely  will 
you  be  to  make  a  favourable  impression  on  their 
minds. 

5.  In  conducting  religious  conversation,  as  much 

AS      POSSIBLE     AVOID      THEOLOGICAL      CONTROVERSY. 

I  before  cautioned  you  against  the  habit  of  falling 
into  controversy  07i  any  subject  in  company.  But 
I  would  now  warn  you  that  religious  controversy, 
when  you  are  conversing  with  persons  with  a  view 
to  their  spiritual  benefit,  is  peculiarly  undesirable, 
and  ought  to  be  avoided  as  much  as  possible.  I  say, 
as  much  as  possible;  for  there  are  doubtless  cases  in 
which  it  is  not  possible  to  avoid  it,  without  shrinking 
from  the  defence  of  the  truth.  You  will  sometimes 
fall  in  with  persons,  who,  from  a  love  of  disputation, 
from  ill  manners,  from  enmity  to  the  truth,  or  from 
a  desire  to  put  your  ingenuity  to  the  test,  will  compel 
you  either  to  be  silent,  or  to  defend  your  opinions. 
When  you  meet  with  such  persons,  you  must  manage 
them  in  the  best  way  you  can.     Do   not,  however, 


RELIGIOUS  CONVERSATION.  121 

even  with  such,  allow  a  dispute  to  he  much  protracted. 
Draw  it  to  a  close  as  soon  as  practical)lc.  Carry  it 
on,  while  it  lasts,  with  all  the  "  meekness  and  gentle- 
ness of  Christ."  And  let  them  see  that  you  take  no 
personal  offence  at  having  your  opinions  questioned; 
but  simj)ly  desire  to  defend  what  you  deem  truth, 
and  to  guard  them  from  injurious  error. 

But  in  all  cases  in  which  controversy  can  properly 
be  avoided,  by  all  means  decline  engaging  in  it. 
Theological  disputes,  in  the  social  circle,  are  seldom 
profitable,  and  often  highly  mischievous.  They  sour 
the  temper;  but  commonly  leave  each  party  con- 
firmed in  his  original  opinion.  In  your  ordinary 
religious  conversation,  then,  keep  as  clear  of  what 
are  called  disputed  points  in  theology,  as  possible, 
consistently  with  conveying  sound  and  useful  instruc- 
tion in  divine  truth.  When  you  are  compelled  to 
touch  on  them,  let  it  be  under  a  practical  rather  than 
polemical  aspect,  and  in  terms  as  little  adapted  to 
give  offence  as  possible.  When  you  perceive  the 
most  distant  symptom  of  approaching  controversy, 
take  measures  to  avert  the  impending  storm.  This 
may  commonly  be  done  by  a  few  kind  words,  or  by 
giving  a  practical  turn  to  the  argument.  It  may  be 
easy  to  prevent  the  evil;  but  by  no  means  so  easy 
to  cure  it  when  we  have  once  fallen  under  its  power. 

6.  You  will  sometimes  fall  in  company  with  in- 
fidels, WHO  TOTALLY  REJECT  REVELATION.  Con- 
versation with  them  is  always  a  delicate,  and  often  a 
difficult  task.  Make  a  point  of  treating  them  respect- 
fully, as  long  as  they  maintain  decorum  on  their 
part;  and  even  if  they  scoff  and  blaspheme,  do  not 
suffer  yourself  to  be  so  far  borne  away  by  irascible 

L 


122  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

feeling,  as  to  address  them  in  opprobrious  language* 
As  long  as  their  deportment  admits  of  your  continu- 
ing to  argue  with  them,  do  it  in  the  spirit  of  meek- 
ness and  benevolence.  In  addressing  them,  do  not 
permit  yourself  to  call  them  by  hard  names,  or  to 
impute  to  them  base  motives.  Endeavour  to  convince 
them  that  you  are  actuated,  not  by  a  spirit  of  personal 
resentment,  or  wounded  pride;  but  by  a  regard  to 
the  cause  of  God,  and  their  own  eternal  welfare.  In 
arguing  with  them,  however,  do  not  merely  stand  on 
the  defensive;  but  show  them,  on  the  plan  of  But- 
ler^ s  "  Analogy,"  and  similar  books,  that  most  of  the 
objections  which  they  urge  against  Revelation,  lie 
with  equal  force  against  natural  religion,  which  they 
commonly  profess  to  believe.  I  have  seldom  seen 
an  unbeliever  who  was  able  to  stand  five  minutes 
before  the  argumentum  ad  hominem  plan  of  treat- 
ment. Above  all,  in  addressing  them,  while  you 
appeal  to  their  understandings,  never  fail,  in  a  mild 
and  respectful  manner,  to  appeal  to  their  consciences 
and  their  hearts.  All  my  experience  tells  me  that 
nothing  is  so  likely  to  impress  them  as  this. 

7.  In  conversing  with  persons  of  a  different  re- 
ligious  DENOMINATION    FROM    YOUR    OWN,    there    is 

need  of  much  vigilance  both  as  to  the  matter  and 
manner  of  your  conversation.  In  all  such  conver- 
sations, guard  against  either  manifesting  or  feeling  a 
proselyting  spirit.  Be  much  more  anxious  to  see 
them  Christians,  than  to  see  them  Presbyterians. 
Dwell,  therefore,  much  more  on  the  fundamental  and 
precious  points  of  our  common  Christianity,  than  on 
the  peculiarities  of  either  their  or  your  church. 
While  they  see  that  you  are  deeply  serious,  and 


RELIGIOUS  CONVERSATION.  123 

anxious  to  promote  their  eternal  welfare,  let  them 
perceive  that  you  are  not  anxious  to  win  them  to 
your  party.  Agree  with  them  as  far  as  you  can. 
Treat  them  with  pointed  respect  and  attention;  if 
they  appear  pious,  with  as  much  affection  as  if  they 
belonged  to  your  particular  denomination;  and  even 
if  they  make  overtures  for  joining  your  own  church, 
do  not  be  ready  to  catch  at  their  proposal.  IVIanifest 
no  eagerness  to  receive  them.  On  the  contrary, 
rather  show,  in  all  their  extent,  the  difficulties  which 
lie  in  the  way  of  transferring  their  religious  connex- 
ion. However  unworthily,  in  relation  to  this  subject, 
persons  of  other  sects  may  treat  you  or  yours,  never 
allow  \'ourself  to  imitate  their  pernicious  example. 

8.  The  introduction  of  religious  conversation 
among  entire  strangers,  is  often  very  desirable  and 
important;  and  yet,  frequently,  requires  no  little  ad- 
dress. I  said  that  it  is  often  very  desirable  and  im- 
portant; for  more  than  once  have  I  known  a  minister 
to  be  in  company  a  whole  afternoon,  or  longer,  with 
a  circle  of  strangci-s,  several  of  whom,  though  un- 
known to  him,  were  earnestly  desirous  of  hearing 
him  engage  in  religious  conversation;  and  were  not 
a  little  disappointed  to  find  the  interview  at  an  end, 
without  his  having  introduced  it.  Many  a  precious 
opportunity  of  instructing  the  ignorant,  of  directing 
the  perplexed  and  inquiring,  and  of  comforting  the 
sorrowful,  has  been  thus  lost.  Guard  against  all  such 
omissions.  Never  allow  yourself  to  be  half  an  hour 
in  company,  even  with  the  most  perfect  strangers, 
without  endeavouring  to  ascertain  whether  any  of 
them  have  a  taste  for  serious  conversation.  There 
are  many  ways  of  ascertaining  this,  without  intrusion 


124  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

or  indelicacy.  A  cursory  remark,  or  an  apparently 
incidental  inquiry,  may,  and  probably  will,  elicit 
enough  to  solve  your  doubt.  Many  a  precious  con- 
versation has  resulted  from  such  an  exploring  remark 
or  inquiry.  Like  the  discovery  of  a  refreshing 
spring  in  a  parched  and  dreary  wilderness,  not  un- 
frequently  has  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  as  well  as  a 
private  Christian,  met  with  a  spiritual  feast  himself, 
and  been  the  means  of  imparting  a  feast  to  others, 
when  he  least  of  all  expected  such  a  pleasure;  when, 
perhaps,  he  was  ready  to  say  within  himself,  "  there 
is  no  fear  of  God  in  this  place." 

9.  Introducing  and  conducting  religious  conversa- 
tion with  persons  of  wealth,  and  high  station 
IN  SOCIETY,  is  a  peculiarly  important,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  a  very  delicate  and  difficult  duty.  Pecu- 
liarly important,  because  any  good  impression  made 
on  them,  will  be  likely  to  extend  itself  more  widely; 
and  in  many  respects,  delicate  and  difficult,  because 
this  class  of  persons  are  more  in  the  habit  of  being 
approached  with  deference,  and,  for  various  reasons, 
more  apt  to  be  nice,  and  even  fastidious,  in  their  feel- 
ings, than  many  others.  At  the  same  time,  I  have 
no  doubt,  that  the  difficulties  of  this  duty  have  been, 
by  some,  greatly  overrated;  and  that  plain,  good 
sense,  with  a  heart  overflowing  with  piety  and  be- 
nevolence, will  be  found,  humanl}'  speaking,  safe  and 
adequate  guides,  in  all  ordinary  cases.  My  advice 
on  this  point  shall  be  short.  Never,  on  any  account, 
court,  or  affect  the  company  of  the  wealthy  and 
great.  Never  take  pains  to  be  much  with  them;  and 
never  boast  of  their  acquaintance.  When  you  are 
providentially  thrown  in  their  way,  sacredly  avoid 


RELIGIOUS  CONVERSATION.  125 

every  thing  that  aj)proaches  to  a  supple,  sycophantic 
spirit  of  accommodation  to  their  errors  or  vices. 
Never  accost  them  with  that  timid,  cml)arrassed  dif- 
fidence, which  may  lead  them  to  suppose  that  you 
have  more  veneration  for  them,  than  for  your  duty 
or  your  God.  At  the  same  time,  let  nothing  of  the 
unmannerly,  the  sullen,  or  the  morose  mark  your  de- 
portment toward  them.  An  old  divine  was  accus- 
tomed to  say,  "  Please  all  men  in  the  truth;  hut  wound 
not  the  truth  to  please  any."  Let  them  sec  that 
Christian  duty  is  not  inconsistent  with  the  most  per- 
fect politeness.  Introduce  pious  thoughts,  and  divine 
truth  to  their  view,  in  a  gentle  and  sometimes  in  an 
indirect  manner;  and  let  them  see  that  you  arc  mucli 
more  intent  on  doing  them  good,  than  gaining  their 
favour.  When  you  have  occasion  to  oppose  them, 
let  it  be  done  mildly  and  meekly,  but  firmly;  with 
the  air  and  manner  of  one  who  dislikes  to  oppose, 
but  feels  constrained  to  "  obey  God  rather  than  man." 
In  a  word,  I  believe  that  a  minister  of  the  gospel 
never  appears  to  more  advantage  in  the  view  of  those 
who  are  considered  as  the  great  ones  of  this  world,  and 
is  never  likely  to  make  a  more  deep  impression  upon 
them,  than  when  he  makes  them  to  feel — not  by  os- 
tentation, sanctimoniousness  or  austerity;  not  even 
by  importunately  soliciting  their  attention  to  his  own 
views  of  truth  and  duty — but  by  exhibiting  meek 
decision  of  spiritual  character, — that  they  are  in  the 
presence  of  a  man,  who  regards  the  authority  and  fa- 
vour of  God  above  all  things,  and  whose  supreme 
and  habitual  object  is  to  promote  the  everlasting  wel- 
fare of  his  fellow-men. 

10.  Never  imagine  that  it  is  your  duty  to  violate 

L* 


126  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS, 

GOOD  MANNERS,  either  in  introducing  or  continuing 
religious  conversation.  Tliis  is  never  proper,  because 
never  necessary.  If  you  cannot  persuade  an  indi- 
vidual, by  a  mild  and  respectful  mode  of  address  to 
listen  to  you,  it  is  better  to  forbear.  An  attempt  to 
force  what  you  have  to  say,  on  one  who  steadfastly 
or  profanely  resists  you,  is  "  casting  pearls  before 
swine."  And  violating  the  respect  which  is  due  to 
any  person,  under  the  notion  of  promoting,  in  this 
way,  his  spiritual  interest,  is,  usually,  of  all  delu- 
sions, one  of  the  greatest.  If  you  watch  for  the 
mollia  te77ipora  fundi,  you  will  have  an  opportunity 
of  approaching  him,  if  he  be  accessible  at  all.  If  you 
wait,  with  a  proper  temper,  and  with  humble  prayer, 
for  a  door  to  be  opened  for  doing  him  good,  you  will, 
probably,  not  wait  in  vain. 

11.  When  you  arc  called  to  converse  with  persons 
UNDER  RELIGIOUS  IMPRESSIONS,  addrcss  yourself  to 
the  duty  with  much  seriousness  and  prayer.  Re- 
member that  what  you  say,  may  influence  their  eter- 
nal condition;  and,  therefore,  that  every  word  is  im- 
portant;— important  to  them,  to  yourself,  and  to  the 
church  of  God.  Remember,  too,  that  the  task  of 
instructing  and  guiding  those  who  are  "asking  the 
\vay  to  Zion,"  is  as  delicate  and  difficult  as  it  is  im- 
portant. It  requires  much  knowledge  of  the  human 
heart,  and  of  human  nature,  and  much  acquaintance 
with  the  gospel  as  a  practical  system.  Study  to 
qualify  yourself  for  this  interesting  and  momentous 
duty,  by  much  converse  with  your  own  heart;  by 
much  intercourse  with  those  whose  ministry  God  has 
eminently  blessed;  by  reading  the  best  books  which 
tend  to  throw  light  on  Christian  character  and  expe- 


RELIGIOUS  CONVERSATION.  127 

rience;  and,  above  all,  by  humble  importunate  prayer 
for  that  wisdom  which  is  adapted  to  "  win  souls,"  and. 
to  guide  "  them  in  the  way  of  peace."  He  who  al- 
lows himself  to  enter  on  this  duty  without  much 
consideration,  and  humbly  looking  to  heaven  for  aid; 
or  to  perform  it  in  a  slight  and  careless  manner,  must 
make  a  miserable  estimate  both  of  ministerial  fidelity, 
and  of  the  worth  of  immortal  souls. 

12.  Before  you  enter  on  the  duty  of  conversing 
with  any  one  on  this  most  important  of  all  subjects, 
endeavour,  if  possible,  to  learn  something  of  the 

PECULIAR  character    AND    TEMPERAMENT    OF    THE 

individual.  There  are  peculiarities  of  tliis  kind, 
which  frequently  exert  an  immediate  and  important 
influence  on  religious  exercises.  Some  persons  have 
a  remarkably  sanguine  temperament,  and  buoyant 
animal  spirits,  which  are  apt  to  impart  ardour  to  their 
feelings  on  all  subjects,  and,  of  course,  to  confer  on 
their  religious  impressions  the  appearance  of  more 
decision  and  intensity  of  character  than  they  really 
possess.  Others  labour  under  a  constitutional  de- 
pression of  mind,  which  is  ever  disposed  to  look  on 
the  dark  side  of  things,  and  sometimes  borders  on 
melancholy,  and  even  despondency;  and  which  al- 
ways prevents  them  from  doing  justice  to  the  evi- 
dence in  their  own  favour;  while  a  third  class  are 
affected  with  some  bodily  disease,  which  not  unfre- 
quently  benumbs  or  agitates  the  mind,  and  creates  no 
small  difficulty  in  judging  of  its  real  state.  Now  in 
conversing  with  an  individual  who  is  anxious  respect- 
ing his  eternal  interest,  it  is  of  great  importance  to 
know  whether  he  is  under  the  special  influence  of 
any  of  these  physical  difficulties,  or  temperamental 


128  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

predispositions.  For,  on  the  result  of  this  inquiry, 
the  course  to  be  pursued  must  be  in  some  measure 
modified.  The  undue  confidence  of  some  ought  to 
be  firmly  repressed;  and  the  precipitancy  of  others 
restrained  or  cautioned.  The  backwardness  of  the 
timid  should  be  stimulated,  and  the  trembling  appre- 
hensions of  the  melancholy  and  desponding,  if  pos- 
sible, removed,  by  affectionate  encouragement.  The 
wise  physician  of  the  body  is  always  careful  to  in- 
quire about  the  presence  of  disturbing  forces  in  the 
mind,  and  prescribes  accordingly.  In  like  manner, 
the  wise  physician  of  the  soul  will  endeavour  to  ex- 
plore every  physical  idiosyncrasy  which  distinguishes 
the  spiritual  patient  to  whom  he  may  be  called,  and 
address  him  in  a  corresponding  manner.  If  you  have 
not  already  a  particular  acquaintance  with  him,  make 
such  inquiries  respecting  his  habits,  life,  temperament, 
and  other  peculiarities,  as  may  put  you  in  possession 
of  all  the  requisite  information.  And  instead  of 
making  your  conversation,  if  such  it  may  be  called, 
to  consist  chiefly  of  continued  address  on  your 
part,  which  is  the  favourite  manner  of  some;  resort 
much  more  to  the  plan  of  affable  and  affectionate  in- 
terrogation, which  will  lead  the  individual,  at  every 
step,  to  disclose  the  state  of  his  own  mind,  and  thus 
furnish  you  with  some  of  the  best  indications  for 
adapting  your  addresses  to  his  case. 

13.   Be    careful    to   give   clear   doctrinal    in- 
struction CONCERNING  THE  PLAN  OF  SALVATION  tO 

those  who  are  anxious  and  inquiring.  I  have  observ- 
ed it  to  be  the  manner  of  some  in  conversing  with 
such  persons,  to  deal  chiefly  in  tender  and  solemn 
exhortation;  under  the  belief  that  the  grand  object 


RELIGIOUS  CONVERSATION.  129 

aimed  at  ought  to  be  to  impress  the  conscience  and  the 
heart,  rather  than   to  impart  doctrinal    knowledge. 
But  it  ought  to  be  remembered  that  neither  the  con- 
science nor  the  heart  can  ever  be  suitably  impressed 
but  through  the  medium  of  truth.     It  is  only  as  far  as 
gospel  truth  is  apprehended,  that  any  genuine  scrip- 
tural exercises  with  regard  to  it  can  exist.     Carefully 
study,  then,  to  impart  to  every  anxious  mind  clear 
views  of  the  fundamental  doctrines  of  the    gospel. 
Not  that,  in  conversing  with  such  persons,  you  are 
ever  to  perplex  them  with  the  metaphysical  refine- 
ments of  theology,  which  ought  ever  to  be,  as  far  as 
possible,  avoided.     But  the  course  which  I  deem  of 
so  much  importance  is,  that  you  constantly  endeavour 
to    fdl   their   minds    with    plain,    simple,    connected 
Bible  truth;  that  vou  dwell  on  the  scriptural  charac- 
ter of  God;  the  nature  and  requisitions  of  his  holy 
law;  the  pollution,    guilt  and   danger  of  all   men   in 
their  natural  state;  the  divinity  of  the  Saviour;  the 
efficacy  of  his  atoning   sacrifice;    the    unsearchable 
riches  and   freeness  of  his  grace;  the  work  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  in  regenerating  and  sanctifying  the  heart;, 
and  the  utter  helplessness,  and,  at  the  same  time,  per« 
feet  responsibility  and   blameworthiness  of  man: — 
Just  as  far  as  these  great  doctrines  are  fastened  on 
the  conscience,  and  impressed  on  the  heart,  and  na 
further,  may  we  hope  to  become  the  instruments  of 
savins  benefit  to  those  whom  we  address. 

15.  Be  not  too  ready  to  speak  peace  or  to 
ADMINISTER  CONSOLATION  to  thosc  who  are  in  a  se- 
rious, anxious  state  of  mind.  It  is,  undoubtedly^ 
painful  to  see  any  one  in  distress;  and  the  spiritual 
physician   will   be  often  strongly  tempted  by  false 


130  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

benevolence,  to  encourage,  and  administer  comfort, 
where  he  ought  not.  Beware  of  this.  It  is  far  bet- 
ter that  an  anxious  inquirer  after  salvation  should 
pass  a  few  more  weeks  or  months  in  a  state  of  deep 
mental  solicitude,  and  even  anguish,  than  that  he 
should  be  prematurely  comforted,  and  led  to  repose 
in  a  false  hope,  from  which  he  may  never  awake. 
Be  not  afraid,  then,  to  be  perfectly  faithful:  to  lay 
open  every  wound  to  the  very  bottom,  before  you 
attempt  to  heal  it.  Be  slow  in  administering  comfort, 
while  the  least  doubt  remains  with  regard  to  the  real 
state  of  the  individual.  Indeed  I  have  often  thought 
that  it  is  very  seldom  proper  for  a  minister,  or  any 
other  pious  man,  in  conversing  with  an  anxious 
person,  to  be  forward  to  pronounce  a  favourable  judg- 
ment with  respect  to  his  state.  You  may  be  deceived 
in  your  opinion,  and  you  may  be  the  means  of  de- 
ceiving him  fatally.  It  is,  in  common,  much  safer  and 
better  for  him  to  l)e  brought  to  a  favourable  conclu- 
sion concerning  himself,  by  that  heavenly  teaching, 
which  cannot  deceive;  and  which,  though  sometimes 
more  tardy  in  exhibiting  its  results  than  earthly 
wisdom  expects  and  desires,  always  furnishes  the 
safest  and  best  testimony. 

16.    Be  not    HASTY  in  publishing    THE  EXERCISES 
OR    SITUATION     OF    THOSE    WHOM    YOU    KNOW    TO     BE 

ANXIOUSLY  INQUIRING.  It  is  deeply  painful  to  ob- 
serve the  frequency  and  injudiciousness  with  which 
this  rule  is  infringed.  A  person,  perhaps,  has  scarcely 
become  conscious  to  himself  of  deep  solicitude  re- 
specting his  spiritual  interest,  and  given  a  hint  of  it 
to  his  minister,  or  to  some  pious  friend,  before  it  is 
blazed  abroad;  becomes  matter  of  public  speculation; 


RELIGIOUS  CONVERSATION.  131 

and  leads  a  number  of  persons  immediately  to  crowd 
around  him,  and  offer  their  services  as  his  instructors 
and  guides.  The  consequences  of  this  method  of 
proceeding  are  often  extremely  unhappy.  Some  are 
puffed  up,  by  becoming  objects  of  so  much  unex- 
pected attention  and  conversation.  Others  are  re- 
volted, and,  perhaps,  deeply  disgusted,  at  being  ad- 
dressed by  so  many  on  the  subject  of  their  exercises, 
and  by  some,  it  may  be,  very  injudiciously.  While 
a  third  class,  whose  impressions  are  slight  and  tran- 
sient, are  mortified  at  being  held  up  to  view  as 
awakened  persons,  and  afterwards  lying  under  the 
odium  of  having  gone  back;  and,  possibly,  in  some 
cases,  so  much  mortified,  as  to  withdraw  from  those 
individuals  and  opportunities,  which  might  have  been 
essentially  useful.  Besides  all  this,  it  has  often  hap- 
pened, that  the  number  of  serious  persons  who  have 
immediately  clustered  around  an  individual  thus 
publicly  announced  as  under  religious  impressions, 
has  been  so  great,  and  their  talents,  knowledge,  ex- 
perience, and  capacity  for  giving  sound  instruction 
so  extremely  various,  that  they  have  perplexed,  con- 
founded, and  most  unhappily  retarded,  the  object  of 
their  well  meant  attention,  instead  of  really  helping 
him.  With  almost  as  much  propriety  might  a  phy- 
sician of  the  body,  when  he  found  a  patient  ill  of  a 
dubious  disease,  throw  open  his  apartment  to  every 
intruder,  and  invite  every  medical  practitioner  within 
twenty  miles  of  him,  however  discordant  their  theo- 
ries, to  come  in  and  prescribe  at  pleasure  for  the 
sufferer. 

My  advice  is,  that,  when  you  ascertain  that  any 
one  is  becoming  seriously  thoughtful  on  the  subject 


132  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

of  religion,  you  keep  it,  foi*  a  short  time,  to  yourself. 
Indeed,  that  you  thus  keep  the  fact,  until  his  exercises 
begin  to  assume  a  definite  shape  and  character;  being 
careful,  in  the  meanwhile,  to  attend  to  the  case  with 
conscientious  diligence  yourself.  When  you  judge 
the  way  to  be  open,  communicate  a  knowledge  of 
the  situation  of  the  individual  to  one.  or  two  of  those 
persons  in  whose  knowledge,  piety  and  prudence  you 
have  most  confidence,  and  whom  you  know  to  have 
the  peculiar  confidence  of  the  individual  in  question. 
The  case  of  the  spiritual  seed,  is  a  little  like  that  of 
the  natural.  When  we  place  a  seed  in  the  ground, 
we  allow  it  a  little  time  to  vegetate  under  the  con- 
cealment of  the  soil.  He  who  should  go  every  few 
hours  to  the  spot,  where  it  was  deposited,  and  drag  it 
forth,  in  order  to  see  how  the  process  of  vegetation 
was  going  on,  would  be  considered  as  a  very  unwise 
cultivator.  So  he  who,  in  regard  to  seed  of  a  much 
more  important  and  delicate  nature,  will  not  give  it 
time  to  shoot  and  grow  a  little,  before  it  is  forced  on 
the  public  gaze,  acts  a  part,  I  must  think,  by  no  means 
adapted  to  promote  the  best  interests  either  of  the 
individual  immediately  concerned,  or  of  the  church. 
If  he  would  consent  to  ivait  a  short  time,  the  view 
taken  would  probably  soon  be  found  much  more 
pleasant  and  edifying,  or  to  assume  a  character  which 
ought  not  to  be  made  public  at  all. 

17.  Guard  against  conversing  too  much  at  one 
TIME,  with  those  who  are  under  serious  impressions. 
I  am  deeply  persuaded,  that,  in  many  cases,  the 
minds  of  such  persons,  in  consequence  of  being  in- 
cessantly plied  with  conversation,  even  though  of 
good  quality,  yet  from  its  excess  as  to  quantity. 


RELIGIOUS  CONVERSATION.  133 

have  been  kept  in  a  state  of  agitation  and  conflict, 
longer  than  they  would  probably  otherwise  have 
been.  And  the  evil  has  been,  no  doubt,  increased,  as 
I  just  hinted,  when  a  number  of  individuals,  of  differ- 
ent degrees  of  knowledge,  piety  and  judgment  have 
undertaken  to  inculcate,  each  his  peculiar  views,  on 
the  persons  in  question.  I  am  confident  that  although 
persons  in  this  deeply  interesting  state  of  mind, 
ought  to  be  frequently  instructed  and  exhorted,  by 
competent  counsellors,  yet  few  things  are  more  in- 
jurious to  them  than  to  be  annoyed  by  incessant, 
common-place  conversation.  It  is  an  utter  mistake 
to  suppose  that  they  are  benefited  by  being  always 
in  society,  even  of  the  best  kind.  They  need  much 
time  for  retirement,  self-examination  and  prayer,  and 
ought  to  be  referred  much  to  the  word  of  God,  and 
the  teaching  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  A  few  thoughts  at 
a  time,  from  a  pious  friend,  clear,  seasonable,  instruc- 
tive, and  to  the  point,  will  be  most  likely  to  be 
useful.  After  receiving  these,  at  suitable  intervals, 
they  ought  to  be  left  much  in  their  closets,  with  their 
Bibles  and  their  God;  and  to  be  frequently  told  to 
look  rather  to  the  Saviour  than  to  man  for  help. 

18.  If,  after  becoming  a  pastor,  you  should  be  so 
happy  as  to  know  of  any  considerable  number  of 
individuals  in  your  congregation  who  are  beginning 
to  think  seriously  on  the  subject  of  religion,  it  may 
become  desirable  to  convene  them  weekly,  or  as 
often  as  convenient,  for  the  subject  of  receiving  in- 
struction and  exhortation  together.  This  practice 
has  been  much  recommended  by  experience,  and  is 
attended  with  several  very  important  advantages.  It 
enables  a  faithful  pastor  to  accomplish  more  in  the 

M 


134  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS, 

indispensable  duty  of  conversing  with  the  serious 
and  anxious,  in  a  single  afternoon,  or  evening,  than 
would  be  practicable  in  a  week,  in  the  ordinary 
method  of  visiting  from  house  to  house.  The  ap- 
pointment of  such  a  meeting,  too,  may  induce  many 
persons  who  are  really  in  some  degree  serious,  to 
come  forward  and  put  themselves  in  the  way  of  con- 
versation on  the  subject  of  experimental  religion, 
who,  if  no  such  opportunity  were  presented,  might 
conceal  the  state  of  their  minds,  and  lose  the  advan- 
tage of  being  personally  and  pointedly  addressed.  I 
am  also  inclined  to  think  that  every  pastor,  even 
when  there  is  not  sufficient  attention  excited  among 
his  people  to  keep  up  such  a  weekly  meeting  of  in- 
quiries as  I  have  described,  ought  to  have  a  stated 
time,  occurring  as  often  at  least,  as  once  a  fortnight, 
and  distinctly  made  known  to  his  people,  when  he 
will  make  a  point  of  being  at  home,  and  ready  to 
attend  to  any,  whether  professors  of  religion  or  not, 
who  may  wish  to  converse  with  him  on  their  spiritual 
state.  A  faithful  pastor  will  rarely  pass  such  an  ap- 
pointed time  without  some  visiters.  And  some  will 
go,  perhaps,  and  be  happily  led  to  the  Saviour,  who, 
but  for  such  an  appointment,  would,  humanly  speak- 
ing, have  lost  their  serious  impressions,  and  hardened 
themselves  in  sin.  Who  does  not  know  that,  when 
the  mind  begins  to  be  exercised  on  the  subject  of 
religion,  the  merest  trifles  will,  in  some  cases,  serve 
as  excuses  for  concealing  the  fact  ?  The  inquirer  will 
feel,  it  may  be,  that  he  ought  to  converse  with  his 
minister;  but  he  cannot  summon  resolution  to  ven- 
ture on  the  interview.  He  fears,  perhaps,  that  he 
will  not  be  at  home;  or  that  he  will  have  company; 


RELIGIOUS  CONVERSATION.  135 

or  be  otherwise  engaged;  or  that  it  will  be  diiFicult 
to  disclose  to  him  his  feelings.  The  consequence  is 
he  does  not  go;  and  his  seriousness,  after  a  short 
time,  wears  off.  But  if  he  knew  that  his  minister, 
on  a  certain  day,  would  be  at  home;  that  he  would 
have  no  other  engagement;  that  he  would  be  hoping 
and  desiring  to  see  persons  in  his  state  of  mind;  and 
that  his  very  appearance  at  the  house  of  his  pastor  on 
that  day  would  itself  disclose  the  object  of  his  visit, 
and  furnish  an  introduction  to  a  free  conversation; — 
his  excuses  would  jn'obably  all  vanish,  and  he  would 
avail  himself  of  the  precious  privilege. 

If  you  should  ever  make  such  an  appointment  as  I 
have  last  mentioned,  and,  if  on  the  recurrence  of  the 
day,  for  several  times,  you  should  have  no  visiters, 
be  not  discouraged.  Continue  the  appointment;  and 
give  public  intimations,  from  time  to  time,  in  the 
manner  that  you  may  judge  most  suitable,  that  it  is 
made  in  vain.  No  one  can  tell  how  far  such  intima- 
tions may  serve  to  rouse  up  the  pious,  and  excite  them 
to  prayer  and  exertion. 

19.  Be  not  too  hasty  in  encouraging  those  of  whose 
seriousness  you   have  a  favourable    opinion    to  go 

FORWARD    AND     INIAKE     A    PROFESSION    OF    RELIGION. 

This  is  undoubtedly  often  done  with  very  undue 
precipitation.  Persons  of  very  tender  age,  and 
others,  previously,  of  very  equivocal  character,  have 
been,  literally,  hurried  to  the  Lord's  table  in  less 
than  a  week  after  the  commencement  of  their  serious 
thoughtfulness;  without  allowing  them  time  fully  to 
"count  the  cost;"  and  before  they  were  able  to  put 
their  exercises  to  such  a  test  as  might  be  satisfactory 
to  themselves  or  others.     Plence  many  young  per- 


136  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

sons,  of  both  sexes,  in  a  few  months,  or  even  weeks, 
after  making  this  solemn  profession,  have  found 
themselves  unexpectedly  bereft  of  all  comfortable 
hope;  their  evidences  of  Christian  character  gone; 
their  interest  in  the  subject  in  a  great  measure  lost; 
and  their  minds  filled  with  regret  that  they  had  been 
so  hasty.  It  was  now,  however,  difficult  to  retreat, 
and  their  whole  lives,  perhaps,  have  been  spent  in  a 
heartless,  and  of  course,  a  comfortless  profession. 

It  is  readily  granted  that  neither  scripture  nor  rea- 
son fix  any  precise  period,  during  which  candidates 
for  church  communion  are  bound  to  wait,  in  order  to 
put  the  stability  of  their  religious  character  to  the 
test.  And  it  is  equally  evident,  that  extraordinary 
cases  ought  to  prescribe  rules  for  themselves.  But, 
in  general,  it  is  evident  that  there  ought  to  be  a  few 
months,  at  least,  of  serious  and  prayerful  deliberation, 
before  taking  a  step  so  solemn,  so  momentous,  so 
irrevocable;  a  step  likely  to  be  followed  with  so  many 
interesting  consequences  to  those  who  take  it,  and  to 
the  sacred  family  with  which  they  propose  to  be- 
come connected.  Let  no  desire  to  see  the  rapid 
multiplication  of  professors,  ever  lead  you  to  depart 
from  this  principle.  I  have  more  than  once  repent-- 
ed  having  given  what  afterwards  appeared  to  be 
premature  encouragement  to  come  to  a  sacramental 
table;  but  never  did  I  repent  advising  to  a  few 
months'  deliberation  and  delay,  when  the  preparation 
was  doubtful. 

20.  In  conversing  on  the  subject  of  practical  reli- 
gion, especially  with  those  who  are  not  well  informed 
on  the  subject,  be  sparing  in  the  use  of  that 
TECHNiCAi,  LANGUAGE,  which  many  continually  em^ 


RELIGIOUS  CONVERSATION.  137 

ploy.  I  refer  to  a  nuniber  of  phrases,  of  standing 
use  in  many  pious  circles,  which,  although  the  mean- 
ing intended  to  be  conveyed  by  them  is  undoubtedly 
correct  and  important,  arc  yet  so  remote  from  the 
language  of  ordinary  social  intercourse,  that  they 
sound  strangely,  not  to  say  unintelligibly,  out  of  the 
circles  to  which  I  allude.  Many  pious  ministers  and 
others  are  in  the  habit  of  using  this  language  in  a 
manner,  and  to  an  extent,  which  I  know  render  their 
conversation  not  a  little  revolting  to  those  who  are 
unaccustomed  to  it,  and  frequently  present  a  serious 
obstacle  in  the  way  of  their  acceptance  and  useful- 
ness. 

As  it  is  desirable  not  to  be  misunderstood  on  a  sub- 
ject so  important,  I  think  it  proper  to  give  a  speci- 
men of  the  phrases  to  which  I  refer.  Thus  it  is  by 
no  means  uncommon  to  hear  it  stated,  that  "a  great 
revival  has  b?'oken  ont^'  in  such  a  place; — that  there 
is  "  a  great  religious  stir''  in  this  or  that  congrega- 
tion;— that  such  an  individual,  or  such  a  number  of 
individuals,  have  been  "struck  under  conviction;'^ 
— that  a  particular  person  appears  to  be  "  in  the 
Jiangs  of  the  new  birth;" — that  a  person  whose 
anxiety  on  the  subject  of  religion  is  very  great,  "  has 
been  roughly  handled,  but  is  likely  to  be  brought 
through;" — that  such  another  "  has  been  happily 
brought  through;'" — that  so  many,  in  a  certain  place, 
are  "brought  under  convictio7i"  and  so  many  "have 
obtained  hopes"  &c.  Now,  although  I  am  confident 
I  need  not  assure  you,  that  I  am  a  warm  friend  to 
revivals  of  religion;  although  the  ideas  intended  to 
be  expressed  by  the  phrases  in  question  are,  in  my 
view,  perfectly  sound  and  scriptural,  and  infinitely 


138  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

momentous;  and  although  any  one  who  is  capable  of 
ridiculing  these  ideas,  "  knows  nothing  yet  as  he 
ought  to  know;"  yet  I  cannot  think  that  the  use  of 
these  joAr«5e.y,  especially  in  mixed  companies,  is  ad- 
visable. My  objections  to  them  are  several.  Some 
of  them  are,  in  a  great  measure,  if  not  altogether, 
unintelligible  to  many  to  whom  they  are  addressed. 
Others  are  derided  as  vulgar  cant,  as  terms  expres- 
sive of  the  appearance  of  a  plague  or  pestilence,  ra- 
ther than  of  a  rich  blessing,  and  which  rather  repel, 
than  instruct  or  conciliate.  While  a  third  class  are 
regarded  as  a  presumptuous  invasion  of  the  preroga- 
tive of  him  who  alone  can  know  the  heart,  and  tell 
the  number  of  those  who  have  become  reconciled  to 
him.  Would  it  not  be  better  to  use  language  which 
all  seriously  disposed  persons  understand  and  ap- 
prove ?  Would  it  not  be  quite  as  expressive,  and 
more  intelligible  to  many,  if  you  were  to  say,  that 
"  a  revival  has  commenced,''  or  "  a  work  of  divine 
grace  appears  to  have  commenced,"  in  such  a  place: 
— that  a  particular  individual  is  "  under  serious  im- 
pressions,"— or  is  "  deeply  anxious  on  the  subject  of 
religion," — or  "  appears  to  be  convinced  of  sin,"  or 
is  "  in  great  distress  of  mind;" — that  "many  appear 
to  be  awakened  from  a  state  of  carelessness,  and  to 
be  more  or  less  anxious,"  and  that  others  "  appear, 
or  profess,  to  enjoy  the  comfort  of  gospel  hope  ?" 

I  presume,  if  you  had  occasion  to  interrogate  an 
intelligent  stranger,  who  you  had  reason  to  fear  was 
destitute  of  piety,  in  relation  to  the  state  of  his  mind, 
on  the  subject  of  religion,  you  would  hardly  think  it 
wise  to  begin  by  saying — "  Pray,  sir,  are  you  borii 
again?  or,  are  you  yet  carnal?''     Yet,  why  not, 


RELIGIOUS  CONVERSATION.  139 

as  both  the  principal  phrases  in  this  question  are 
taken  from  the  Bible;  and  as  you  and  I  fully  believe 
these  phrases  to  be  expressive  of  important  realities  ? 
Your  reason,  I  suppose,  for  not  thinking  it  wise, 
would  be,  that  this  language  is  very  imperfectly,  if 
at  all,  understood  by  many  who  are  well  informed  on 
other  subjects;  and  that  such  persons,  because  they 
have  frequently  heard  it  bandied  about  by  the  igno- 
rant and  fanatical,  and  cannot  enter  into  its  precious 
meaning,  are  generally  revolted  by  it. 

I  am  far  from  agreeing  with  INIr.  Foster,  the  pious 
and  eloquent  English  Essayist,  in  his  proposal  to  dis- 
card what  he  calls,  the  '"  theological  dialect," — the 
"  technical  terms  of  evangelical  religion."  I  am  afraid 
that,  if  these  terms  were  dismissed,  the  things  in- 
tended by  them  would  soon  disappear  also.  I  do 
not  wish  a  single  Bible  phrase  to  be  banished  either 
from  the  pulpit  or  the  parlour.  Yet,  I  can  easily 
conceive  that  there  are  even  Bible  phrases,  which 
may  be  advantageously  exchanged  for  others,  more 
familiar  to  those  who  are  ignorant  of  the  Bible,  and 
better  adapted,  until  they  become  enlightened,  to 
convey  spiritual  ideas  to  their  minds.  It  is,  evident- 
ly, on  this  principle  that  ministers,  every  sabbath,  in 
the  pulpit,  explain  scripture,  by  using  more  common 
language,  and  that  which  is  better  understood,  to  ex- 
press its  heavenly  doctrines.  But  the  language  which 
I  advise  you  to  avoid,  is  not,  as  commonli/  etnployed, 
Bible  language  at  all.  And  I  see  no  advantage, 
but  rather  the  contrary,  in  the  use  of  terms,  against 
which  many  are  strongly  prejudiced;  and  which,  if 
they  do  not  deserve  the  name  of  cant,  will  certainly, 
by  many,  be  considered   as  bearing  that  character^ 


140  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

Let  your  general  rule  be,  in  conversing  on  the  great 
and  precious  subjects  of  revivals  of  religion,  and 
Christian  experience,  to  employ  terms  which  are 
warranted  by  scripture,  and  the  most  enlightened 
practical  writers,  and  adapted  to  make  the  best  im- 
pression on  those  whom  we  address. 

21.  Take  pains  to  prepare  yourself  for  conduct- 
ing religious  conversation  in  an  easy  and  edifying 
manner.  For  this  purpose,  be  familiar  with  practical 
books,  and  especially  with  the  lives  of  eminently 
pious  men.  Take  a  few  minutes  to  premeditate  be- 
fore you  expect  to  go  into  the  company  of  any  per- 
son or  persons  on  this  important  errand.  Adjust  in 
your  own  mind  topics  and  thoughts  for  discourse, 
adapted  to  the  cases  of  those  whom  you  expect  to 
meet.  Study  some  variety  in  this  matter.  If  you 
go  over  the  same  common-place,  narrow,  little  round 
of  remark,  in  all  companies,  for  thirty  or  forty  years 
together,  you  will  soon  entirely  cease  to  interest  any 
one,  unless,  perhaps,  a  stranger,  who  happened  to 
hear  it  for  the  first  time.  Above  all,  let  every  at- 
tempt to  perform  the  service  in  question,  be  preceded 
by  humbly  asking  for  divine  help.  Remember  that 
God  "  will  be  inquired  of"  to  grant  us  his  aid;  and 
that  "he  will  not  give  his  glory  to  another."  Re- 
member that  he  can  render  the  feeblest  sentence  that 
ever  escaped  the  lips  of  simple  piety,  richly  and 
eternally  beneficial:  while  the  most  able  and  well 
conducted  conversation,  if  administered  without  im- 
ploring a  blessing  upon  it,  may,  and  probably  will, 
prove  useless  to  all  concerned. 

22.  If  you  desire  to  gain  an  easy,  natural  and 
attractive  manner  of   introducing    and   maintaining 


RELIGIOUS  CONVERSATION.  141 

relij^ious  conversation,  let  the  foundation  of  all  your 
efforts  at  improvement  in  this  respect,  be  laid  in 
THE  CULTURE  OP  THE  HEART.  Study  daily  to  grow 
in  VITAL  PIETY.  Perhaps  there  is  nothing  more  in- 
dispensable to  the  happy  discharge  of  the  duty  under 
consideration  than  that  the  heart  continually  prompt 
and  speak;  that  heart-felt  emotion  and  affection  dic- 
tate every  word,  and  tone,  and  look,  while  engaged 
in  addressing  a  fellow  creature  on  the  most  import- 
ant of  all  subjects.  Truly,  without  active,  fervent 
love  to  God,  and  to  the  souls  of  men,  it  will  be  vain 
to  hope  for  the  attainment  of  this  happy  art,  in  any 
considerable  degree.  But  if  your  heart  habitually 
glow  with  interest  in  this  subject;  if  the  "love  of 
Christ  constrain  you;"  if  you  daily  cherish  a  tender 
concern  for  the  salvation  of  your  perishing  fellow 
mortals;  if  your  mind  be  constantly  teeming  with 
desires  and  plans  to  do  them  good;  then  religious 
conversation  will  be  as  natural  as  to  breathe.  Then 
your  lips  will  be  opened  seasonabl)'',  unaffectedly, 
and  profitably  to  all  around  you.  Then,  instead  of 
being  at  a  loss  what  to  say;  or  being  timidly  back- 
ward to  say  it;  or  saying  it  in  an  embarrassed,  awk- 
ward, pompous,  or  unnatural  manner;  there  will  be 
a  simplicity,  a  touching  tenderness,  a  penetrating 
skill,  a  native  gracefulness,  an  unction  in  your  mode 
of  conversing,  which  no  spurious  feelings  can  suc- 
cessfully imitate.  The  true  reason,  I  have  no  doubt, 
why  religious  conversation  is  so  often  what  it  ought 
not  to  be,  and  so  often  useless,  is  that  it  is  so  seldom 
the  offspring  of  that  unaffected,  warm,  spiritual  feel- 
ing, which  piety  of  an  elevated  character  alone  can 
give. 


143  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

23.  Finally;  it  will  be  a  stimulus  to  diligence,  and 
an  auxiliary  to  improvement,  in  the  precious  art  of 
religious  conversation,  if  you  daily  and  faithfully 

CALL  YOURSELF  TO  AN  ACCOUNT  FOR  THE  MANNER 
IN  WHICH    YOU    HAVE    PERFORMED    THIS  DUTY.       We 

stand  in  need  of  something  of  this  kind  to  quicken 
us  in  every  department  of  our  Christian  work;  and 
in  none  more  than  those  which  consist  in  frequently 
recurring  details,  rather  than  in  single  great  acts. 
Never  retire  from  any  company,  then,  without  ask- 
ing yourself,  "  What  have  I  said  for  the  honour  of 
my  Master,  and  for  promoting  the  everlasting  welfare 
of  those  with  whom  I  conversed  ?  What  was  the 
tenour  of  my  conversation  ?  What  opportunity  of 
recommending  religion  have  I  neglected  to  improve? 
From  what  motives  did  I  speak,  or  keep  silence  ? 
In  what  tnanner  did  I  converse  ?  With  gentleness, 
modesty,  humility,  and  yet  with  affectionate  fidelity; 
or  with  harshness,  with  formality,  with  ostentation, 
with  vanity,  and  from  a  desire  to  avoid  censure,  or  to 
court  popular  applause  ?"  Few  things,  I  believe, 
would  have  a  more  powerful  tendency  to  promote 
watchfulness,  diligence,  and  unremitting  perseverance 
in  this  important  duty,  than  the  constant  inspection 
and  trial  of  ourselves  here  recommended. 


LETTER    VI, 


I  taught  you  publicly,  and  from  house  to  house. — Acts  xx.  30. 


VISITING. 
Mr  DEAR  YOUNG  FRIEND, 

Ministers  are  visitors  by  profession.  It  is  a  large 
and  essential  part  of  their  official  duty  to  teach  and 
exhort  "  from  house  to  house."  Of  course,  every 
thing  which  tends  to  give  this  part  of  their  work  a 
better  direction,  and  a  more  happy  influence,  is 
highly  important  to  them,  and  to  the  cause  of  reli- 
gion. Yet  I  have  been  constrained  seriously  to 
doubt,  whether  any  thing,  in  the  whole  circle  of 
ministerial  activity  is,  commonly,  less  appreciated, 
or  worse  managed.  Accordingly,  that  which  might 
be  made  a  most  powerful  instrument  for  conciliating 
the  good  will,  and  promoting,  in  various  ways,  the 
best  interests  of  those  who  are  committed  to  their 
charge,  many  ministers  are  too  apt,  from  indolence, 
or  want  of  skill,  so  to  conduct,  as  to  make  it  of  little 
value,  as  a  source  either  of  pleasure  or  profit.  Allow 
me,  then,  with  the  same  freedom  with  which  I  have 
offered  you  my  counsel  on  other  subjects,  to  suggest 
a  few  thoughts  on  this.     My  own  experience  con- 


144  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

vinces  me  that  there  is  need  of  such  suggestions,  and 
that  they  may  often  do  much  good.  For  although  I 
am  conscious  of  not  having  accomplished,  while  I 
was  a  pastor,  all  that  I  might  and  ought  to  have  done, 
in  reference  to  this  part  of  my  duty;  yet,  if  I  had 
known  as  much,  at  the  commencement  of  my  minis- 
try, as  I  now  do,  of  its  importance,  and  of  the  means 
of  conducting  it,  I  should  have  pursued,  if  I  do  not 
deceive  myself,  a  very  different  course. 

I  shall  first  speak  of  those  visits  which  may  be 
called  pastoral;  and  secondly,  of  those  which  may 
be  styled  social. 

I.  By  the  pastoral  visits  of  a  clergyman,  I  mean 
those  visits,  of  a  formal  character,  which  in  his  cleri- 
cal capacity,  he  pays  to  the  families  and  individuals 
under  his  pastoral  care.  Of  these  visits,  as  distin- 
guished from  others,  it  is  desirable  that  you  should 
have  just  and  appropriate  views.  In  reference  to 
such  visits,  I  offer  the  following  advices. 

1.  My  first  advice  is,  that  you  by  no  means  neg- 
lect them;  nay,  that  you  be  constant  and  diligent 
in  making  them.  If  you  desire  to  gain  the  love  and 
confidence  of  your  people;  if  you  wish  to  instruct 
and  edify  them  in  a  great  variety  of  ways  which  the 
nature  of  pulpit  address  does  not  admit;  if  you  deem 
it  important  to  be  well  acquainted  with  their  situation, 
views,  feelings,  dijEficulties  and  wants;  then  visit 
every  family  belonging  to  your  congregation  fre- 
quently, systematically,  and  faithfully.  I  say  fre- 
quently. How  often,  must,  of  course,  depend  on  the 
number  of  families  belonging  to  your  charge,  and  on 
the  number  of  your  avocations.  But  I  should  say, 
in  the  largest   congregation,   at  least  once   a  year; 


VISITING.  145 

in  one  of  medium  size,  at  least  twice;  and,  in  all 
cases  in  which  it  is  practicable,  still  more  frequently. 
In  short,  the  oftener  the  better,  provided  your  visits 
be  conducted  in  a  proper  manner. 

2.  Attend  to  this  duty  systematically.  Do  not 
leave  it  to  the  caprice  or  the  convenience  of  the  mo- 
ment. If  you  do,  but  little  will  be  accomplished. 
Company,  trifles,  langour,  procrastination,  and  a  host 
of  other  obstacles,  will  incessantly  stand  in  the  way 
of  performing  what  you  really  wish  and  resolve  to 
perform.  Have  your  fixed  days  in  the  week  for 
visiting;  and  address  yourself  to  it  with  the  same 
fixedness  of  purpose,  and  the  same  inflexible  perse- 
verance, which  you  employ  in  preparation  for  the 
pulpit.  In  most  situations  a  pastor  may  visit,  on  an 
average,  from  twelve  to  fifteen,  or  twenty  families  in 
a  week;  and,  where  the  population  is  unusually 
dense,  even  more.  If  such  an  average,  or  any  thing 
like  it,  were  carried  through  a  year,  what  an  interest- 
ing result  would  be  obtained  !  The  truth  is,  it  is 
almost  incredible  what  patient  industry  will  accom- 
plish. If  any  imagine  that  this  is  a  drudgery  to 
which  a  man  of  active  mind  can  hardly  submit;  and 
that  the  time  would  be  better  employed  in  enriching 
and  polishing  discourses  for  the  sacred  desk;  I  can 
only  say,  all  scripture  is  against  them;  all  experi- 
ence is  against  them;  nay,  all  reason  is  against  them. 
To  say  nothing  of  other  considerations,  one  of  the  best 
auxiliaries  in  studying  sermons,  of  which  a  minister 
can  avail  himself,  is  an  intimate  and  deep  acquaintance 
with  the  people  of  his  charge.  Rely  on  it,  he  who 
hopes  to  discharge  the  duties  of  the  pulpit,  ably,  ap- 
propriately, seasonably,  and  to  the  greatest  advantage 

N 


146  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

of  his  flock,  without  being  much  among  them,  enter- 
tains a  hope  which  is  perfectly  unreasonable,  and 
will  certainly  be  disappointed. 

3.  Let  every  official  visit  be  preceded  by  prayer. 
If  we  believe  in  the  doctrine  of  a  particular  Provi- 
dence; if  we  believe  that  the  Lord  whom  we  serve, 
and  in  whose  name  we  go  forth,  has  all  hearts,  and 
all  events,  even  the  most  minute,  in  his  hands;  is  it 
not  manifest  that  we  ought  to  preface  every  attempt 
to  do  good  to  others,  by  humble,  importunate  prayer, 
that  both  they  and  we  may  be  so  enlightened,  influ- 
enced, and  guided,  and  that  every  thing  may  be  so 
ordered,  as  that  our  effort  may  be  crowned  with  a 
blessing  ?  That  minister  who  does  not  distinctly 
and  earnestly  ask  for  a  blessing  upon  all  his  labours, 
has  no  reason  to  expect  that  he  shall  receive  it. 

4.  With  a  rigorous  adherence  to  system  in  per- 
forming this  duty,  unite  habitual,  persevering 
FAITHFULNESS.  Let  it  be  your  study,  in  the  fear  of 
God,  to  render  your  visit,  however  short,  as  useful 
as  possible  to  the  individual,  or  the  family  of  which 
it  is  the  object.  For  this  purpose,  consider,  before 
you  enter  their  dwelling,  their  situation,  their  char- 
acter, their  circumstances,  their  temptations,  their 
wants:  and  look  up  to  the  Giver  of  all  grace  for 
wisdom  and  strength  to  perform  your  duty  aright. 
As  to  the  precise  manner  in  which  each  interview 
shall  be  conducted,  I  apprehend  that  no  uniform  rule 
can  be  laid  down,  which  will  suit  all  cases  equally 
well.  I  would  only  say,  let  a  word  be  dropped  in 
season  to  young  and  old;  parents  and  children;  mas- 
ters and  servants;  those  who  are  in  the  communion 
of  the  church,  and  those  who  are  not.     In  short,  let 


VISITING.  147 

no  time  be  voluntarily  lost  in  vain  conversation. 
Let  there  be  as  much  of  heavenly  wisdom,  of  solid 
instruction,  and  of  solemn  impressive  exhortation,  as 
you  can  possibly  crowd  into  the  time  allowed  you; 
and,  in  all  cases  in  which  circumstances  allow  of  it, 
close  with  prayer.  For  the  rest,  your  own  piety  and 
good  sense  must  direct. 

5.  In    attending   to    this    duty,    guard   against   a 

FORMAL,  TASK-LIKE  MODE   OF  PERFORMING  IT.      FeW 

things  are  more  repulsive  than  to  see  a  man  going 
from  house  to  house,  running  over  a  round  of  com- 
mon-place expressions,  however  pious;  not  from  feel- 
ing, but  from  habit;  putting  on  a  constrained,  sancti- 
monious countenance,  and  in  a  measured  voice  and 
manner,  reciting,  not  what  the  company,  or  the  case 
before  him  demand;  but  what,  from  the  frequency  of 
its  repetition,  falls  most  readily  from  his  lips.  Never 
will  the  discharge  of  the  duty  in  question,  by  any 
man,  be  either  profitable  to  others,  or  pleasant  to  him- 
self, unless,  with  a  feeling  sense  of  its  importance, 
and  an  anxious  concern  for  the  welfare  of  souls,  he 
enters  into  the  spirit  of  it,  and  applies  his  mind  to 
each  case  as  it  arises,  with  a  tender  interest.  The 
physician  of  the  body,  if  he  be  called  to  fifty  patients 
in  a  day,  examines  the  symptoms  of  each,  and  in- 
quiries into  his  minutest  sensations,  with  the  most 
scrupulous  exactness.  If  he  fail  to  do  this,  his  prac- 
tice will  be  without  success,  and  his  character  without 
confidence.  Let  the  physician  of  the  soul  be  at  least 
as  vigilant,  and  as  anxious  to  adapt  his  ministrations 
to  each  particular  case.  Let  him  sit  down  with 
affectionate  simplicity  in  the  family  or  circle  which 
he  Avishes  to  benefit;  and,  without  erecting  anv  of 


148  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

the  baiTiers  of  official  formality  between  himself  and 
them,  endeavour  to  learn  the  real  character  and  wants 
of  each,  and  to  have  "  a  word  in  season"  for  each. 
An  appropriate  word.  A  word  uttered  with  a 
countenance,  tone  and  general  manner  expressive  of 
that  unaffected  pio^s  feeling,  and  deep  interest,  which 
ought  ever  to  mark  the  minister  of  our  meek  and  be- 
nevolent religion. 

6.  Be  careful  to  extend  the  visits  in  question  to 
THE  POOR  AS  WELL  AS  THE  RICH.  Nay,  if  you  make 
any  difference,  let  it  be  in  favour  of  the  former, 
rather  than  of  the  latter.  Your  master  directed 
special  attention  to  the  poor.  The  gospel  is  pecu- 
liarly adapted  to  them.  And  they  are  more  apt  to 
receive  evangelical  attentions  with  gratitude  than  the 
rich.  Of  course,  the  probability  is,  that  you  will  find 
more  fruit  of  your  labour  among  the  poor.  And,  you 
may  rely  upon  it,  the  rich  themselves  will  never 
esteem  or  love  you  the  less,  for  observing  that 
you  pay  particular  attention  to  the  indigent  and 
afflicted. 

7.  Study  to  make  your  visits  as  instructive  and 
INTERESTING  AS  POSSIBLE.  Many  excellent  minis- 
ters manage  their  visits,  and  especially  those  in  which 
religion  makes  a  prominent  figure,  so  unskilfully, 
that  those  who  have  not  a  pious  taste,  and  more  par- 
ticularly the  younger  members  of  families,  not  un- 
frequently  dislike  to  see  them.  This  is  a  difficulty 
which  it  is  certainly  worth  while  to  take  some  pains 
to  overcome;  and  I  know  of  no  way  of  overcoming 
it,  but  by  taking  care  that  your  deportment  be  con- 
ciliatory, and  attractive  to  all  classes  of  persons;  and 
that  your  conversation  so  abound  in  instruction  and 


VISITING.  149 

entertainment,  as  to  make  your  visits  more  welcome 
than  those  of  almost  any  other  person.  I  have  known 
some  ministers  who  had  this  happy  talent  in  a  re- 
markable degree.  And  it  is  far  more  within  the 
reach  of  a  man  of  ordinary  powers  of  mind  than 
would,  at  first  view,  be  imagined.  Never  go  to  a 
house,  without  having,  if  possible,  something  interest- 
ing to  communicate;  an  appropriate  little  hooky  for 
more  than  one  member  of  the  family;  an  instructive 
pointed  anecdote  to  repeat,  from  one  of  the  periodi- 
cals of  the  preceding  week;  some  popular,  precious 
maxims  to  impress  on  the  minds  of  the  children  and 
youth  of  the  household;  or  a  notice  of  some  recent 
puhlication,  of  a  valuable  and  pleasing  character. 
The  truth  is,  were  ministers  as  intent  on  winning  the 
hearts  of  all  the  domestic  circles  which  they  enter, 
as  the  active  man  of  the  world  is  to  promote  his  ob- 
ject wherever  he  goes,  they  would  enter  no  dwelling 
without  being  received  with  that  smile  of  pleasure 
which  indicates  the  most  respectful  and  cordial 
welcome. 

8.  In  all  your  visits  be  particularly  attentive 

TO  PHILDREN  AND  YOUNG    PEOPLE.       This  is    implied 

in  the  preceding  particular;  but  it  is  so  important  as 
to  demand  separate,  and  most  pointed  consideration. 
I  have  often  wondered  that  a  duty  so  obvious,  and 
recommended  by  so  many  considerations,  should  be 
so  much  overlooked  by  discerning  ministers. 

Can  any  thinking  man  fail  to  remember,  that  chil- 
dren are  the  hope  of  the  church  ?  That  enlightened 
attention  and  labour  bestowed  on  them,  is  more  likely, 
humanly  speaking,  to  be  productive  of  the  best  fruits, 
than  those  which  are  bestowed  upon  persons  of  more 

N* 


150  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

advanced  age  ?  That  impressions  made  in  the  morn- 
ing of  life,  are  generally  among  the  most  permanent 
and  ultimately  beneficial  ?  That  instructions  then 
given,  and  sentiments  then  imbibed,  though  they  may 
long  lie  dormant  in  the  mind,  often  rise  into  life  and 
fruitfulness,  when  he  who  gave  them  has  gone  to  his 
eternal  rest  ? 

Can  it  be  forgotten,  also,  that  all  experience  testi- 
fies the  importance  to  a  minister  himself^  of  paying 
particular  attention  to  the  youth  of  his  charge  ?  It 
forms  a  bond  of  union  between  him  and  them  which 
time,  instead  of  severing,  will  rather  strengthen. 
We  can  scarcely  conceive  of  a  richer  gratification  in 
this  life,  than  that  likely  to  be  enjoyed  by  a  faithful 
minister,  grovving  old  in  his  work,  when  he  sees 
rising  around  him  a  train  of  youthful  members,  whose 
parents  he  loved  and  edified;  whom  he  baptized  and 
blessed;  whom,  in  their  tender  years,  he  w^atched 
over,  catechized,  instructed,  entertained  and  encour- 
aged; and  who,  in  his  declining  age,  gather  round 
him,  and  honour  him  as  their  father  in  Christ.  0, 
if  ministers  could  fully  anticipate  the  sweetness  of 
this  reward,  a  regard  to  their  own  happiness  would 
unite  with  the  purest  benevolence,  in  impelling  them 
to  unwearied  care  in  watching  over  the  children  of 
their  charge,  and  in  embracing  every  opportunity  to 
enlighten  their  minds,  and  to  win  their  hearts  in 
favour  of  all  that  is  good. 

Nor  is  this  all.  Assiduous  attentions  to  children, 
are  among  the  most  direct  and  sure  avenues  to  the 
hearts  of  parents.  It  often  happens,  indeed,  that 
parents  are  more  deeply  gratified,  by  kind  efforts  to 
promote  the  welfare  of  their  children,  and  are  more 


VISITING.  151 

lastingly  thankful  for  them,  than  for  the  same  kind- 
ness bestowed  on  themselves.  Nay,  many  parents 
who  have  no  piety  themselves,  and  who  would  not, 
perhaps,  be  willing  to  be  very  closely  questioned  on 
the  subject  in  reference  to  their  own  hearts,  will  take 
it  well,  and  even  gratefully,  to  have  their  children 
carefully  instructed,  and  pointedly  questioned  on  the 
same  subject,  and  that  even  in  their  own  presence. 
And,  let  me  add,  that  very  striking  instances  have 
been  known  in  which  inquiries  and  exhortations 
addressed  to  children,  in  the  presence  of  their  parents, 
have  been  to  all  appearance  blessed  in  the  happiest 
manner  to  the  benefit  of  those  parents  themselves. 
Indeed,  I  have  sometimes  doubted  whether  in  many 
cases,  ungodly  parents  might  not  be  most  easily  and 
successfully  approached  through  the  medium  of  an 
address  to  their  children,  conducted  in  their  presence. 
On  the  other  hand,  it  frequently  happens  that  chil- 
dren will  lend  a  favourable  ear  to  their  minister, 
when  their  parents,  though  both  pious  and  intelligent, 
have  addressed  them  in  vain. 

On  all  these  accounts,  then,  as  well  as  others  which 
might  be  mentioned,  you  ought,  in  all  your  pastoral 
visitation,  to  direct  the  most  pointed  regard  to  the 
children  and  young  people  of  every  family.  En- 
deavour to  gain  their  attention,  to  win  their  hearts, 
and  to  take  every  opportunity  of  putting  in  their 
way  these  notices,  hints,  books,  and  information  of 
every  valuable  kind,  which  may  tend  to  promote 
their  best  interest.  Give  them  striking  texts  of 
scripture  to  commit  to  memory.  Reward  them, 
when  they  do  well,  with  interesting  Tracts,  of  which 
every  minister  should  always  carry  with  him  a  small 


152  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

store.  Take  notice  of  them  when  you  meet  them  in 
the  street.  Call  them  hy  their  names  with  parental 
kindness.  And  to  enable  you  to  do  this,  keep  a  list, 
as  far  as  you  can,  of  the  children  and  servants  of 
every  family;  make  a  business  of  keeping  up  your 
acquaintance  with  them;  and  of  recognizing  and  ad- 
dressing them  on  all  suitable  occasions.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  doing  this,  and  especially  doing  it  tho- 
roughly, will  require  no  little  additional  labour.  But 
I  hardly  know  of  any  species  of  ministerial  labour 
more  pleasant  in  itself,  more  promising,  or  more 
generally  rewarded  by  the  richest  fruits. 

9.  What  I  have  incidentally  recommended  with 
respect  to  children,  I  would  recommend  in  general, 
as  a  concomitant  of  all  your  pastoral  visitation;  viz. 
that  you  carefully  keep  a  record  of  persons 
AND  EVENTS,  TO  AID  TOUR  MEMORY.  The  names, 
number,  character,  situation,  and  wants  of  many 
families,  would  utterly  pass  from  your  mind,  if  you 
did  not  secure  to  yourself  the  advantage  of  such  a 
systematic  series  of  memorandums,  as  I  have  pro- 
posed. In  this  record,  you  ought  to  insert  in  a  very 
brief  form  not  only  information  as  to  the  points 
which  I  have  hinted  at,  but  also  to  every  other  point 
important  for  a  pastor  to  know  concerning  his  people. 
The  fact  is,  that  the  habit  of  keeping  such  a  record, 
will  constrain  a  pastor  to  make  inquiries  in  the 
course  of  his  parochial  visits,  which  might  not  other- 
wise occur  to  his  recollection,  but  which  ought  never 
to  be  forgotten  by  one  who  is  entrusted  with  the  care 
of  souls;  such  as, — What  members  of  each  family 
are  in  full  communion  with  the  church  ?  Whether 
anv  who  are  not  communicants,  cherish  a  hope  of  an 


VISITING.  153 

interest  in  the  Saviour  ?  Wliethcr  any,  not  of  this 
character,  are  under  serious  impressions  ?  Whether 
any  of  them  arc  unbaptized  ?  Whether  they  are  all 
furnished  with  Bibles  ?  Whether  they  are  all  able  to 
read  ?  Whether  they  are  all  punctual  in  going  to 
the  house  of  God  ?  Whether  they  make  conscience 
of  secret  prayer  ?  Whether  they  are  well  supplied 
with  orthodox  and  pious  books,  adapted  to  promote 
their  instruction  and  edification  ?  &c.  These,  and 
various  other  matters,  important  to  be  remembered, 
ought  to  find  a  place  in  the  record  recommended; 
and  the  record,  in  order  fully  to  answer  its  proper 
purpose,  ought  to  be  frequently  reviewed,  corrected, 
and  modified,  as  new  facts  arise;  and  its  contents 
ought  to  lead  to  daily  and  importunate  prayer  for 
divine  direction  in  attending  to  them  aright. 

10.  In  some  cases,  several  families  may  as- 
semble TOGETHER,  at  a  housc  where  you  have  ap- 
pointed to  be  present.  This  may  bring  a  larger 
number  within  the  influence  of  the  same  visit,  prayer 
and  address;  and  it  may  tend  also  to  nourish  affec- 
tionate Christian  feelings  between  the  members  of  the 
same  church.  This  is  a  plan  of  visiting  especially 
convenient  for  young  ministers,  as  it  will  enable  them 
to  accomplish  more  of  this  part  of  their  work  in  a 
given  time,  and  enable  them  to  be  more  in  their  stu- 
dies. There  are,  however,  some  disadvantages  in- 
curred by  this  mode  of  conducting  parochial  visits. 
A  pastor  cannot  be  so  entirely  imrese7'ved,  where 
several  families  are  together,  as  he  may  be  in  the 
bosom  of  a  single  family;  nor  will  the  persons  pre- 
sent feel  so  perfectly  free  in  their  communications  to 
iiim.     The  greatest  advantage  will  be  likely  to  result 


154  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

from  the  adoption  of  this  plan,  when  the  families 
brought  together  are  not  only  acquainted,  but  inti- 
mate with  each  other. 

11.  In  paying  pastoral  visits,  it  is  very  desirable, 
in  many  cases,  to  be  accompanied  by  an  elder, 
and  sometimes  there  may  be  an  advantage  in  having 
with  you  more  than  one.  This  practice  tends  to 
make  the  Elders  of  the  church  better  known  to  the 
private  members;  and  also,  at  the  same  time,  to  ren- 
der the  Elders  themselves  better  informed  concern- 
ing the  state  of  the  church  over  which  they  are  called 
to  preside,  and  to  give  them  a  deeper  interest  in  its 
affairs.  There  can  be  no  doubt,  too,  that  the  hands 
of  a  minister  are,  in  many  cases,  strengthened  by  the 
presence  of  one  or  more  of  those  who  are  appointed 
to  "  bear  rule"  with  him  in  the  church.  And  while 
it  strengthens  his  hands,  it  is  certainly  adapted  to 
make  a  deeper  impression  on  the  minds  of  those  who 
are  thus  officially  visited. 

But  I  am  persuaded,  that  in  a  large  number  of 
cases,  it  is  better  for  a  pastor  to  visit  alone.  Some 
families,  and  some  individuals  in  other  families,  can 
be  better  approached  without  the  presence  of  an 
Elder.  To  many  conversations,  which  have  for  their 
object  the  removal  of  offences,  it  is  essential  to  their 
prospect  of  success,  that  they  be  private  and  confi- 
dential. To  call  official  witnesses  to  witness  the  re- 
buke and  expostulation,  which  it  may  become  neces- 
sary to  administer,  would  often  be  to  rouse  the 
feelings  of  wounded  pride,  and  to  harden  the  heart. 
Many  persons  have  bowed  with  penitence  and  thanks 
to  an  admonition  given  in  private,  who  would  pro- 
bably have  received  with  rage,  if  not  with  violence, 


VISITING.  155 

the  very  same  admonition  offered  in  public,  or  before 
even  a  single  witness.  Of  the  proper  course  of  pro- 
ceeding, therefore,  in  reference  to  this  point,  the  con- 
scientious and  prudent  minister  must  judge  in  each 
particular  case. 

12.  It  will  be  a  very  important  part  of  your  duty, 
when  you  become  a  minister,  to  visit  the  sick. 
Whether  you  are  called  to  act  as  a  pastor  or  a  mis- 
sionary, in  cither  case  this  most  important  and  deli- 
cate duty  will  frequently  devolve  upon  you.  That  the 
faculty  of  discharging  it  with  faithfulness,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  Avith  prudence  and  tenderness,  is  of  great 
value,  is  too  evident  to  be  doubted.  Dr.  Doddridge 
somewhere  quotes  Jiugustine,  as  expressing  deep 
wonder  and  regret,  that  ministers  should  take  so 
much  pains  to  prepare  their  sermons,  and  bestow  so 
little  apparent  thought  on  what  they  say  to  sick  peo- 
ple, and  on  the  best  methods  of  conducting  their 
visits.  He  who  does  not  feel  that  the  task  of  ad- 
ministering instruction  and  consolation  to  the  sick 
and  the  dying,  is  one  calculated  to  put  in  requisition 
all  the  wisdom,  piety,  benevolence,  and  knowledge 
of  human  nature  which  can  be  devoted  to  it,  knows 
but  little  either  of  nature  or  of  grace.  It  is,  indeed, 
an  office  of  awful  responsibility  to  undertake  to  be, 
if  I  may  so  express  it,  the  pilot  of  the  soul,  in  pass- 
ing "  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death;"  to  awaken 
and  alarm  the  unprepared;  to  counsel  the  perplexed 
and  doubting;  to  calm  the  agitation  of  the  timid  be- 
liever; and  to  pour  the  oil  of  consolation  into  the 
wounded  spirit. 

Be  always  ready  to  visit  the  sick.  Do  not  Avait 
to  be  sent  for.     And  visit  them  as  frequently  as  your 


156  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

circumstances  will  admit.  If  they  be  numerous  at 
any  one  time,  keep  a  list  of  them,  that  none  may  be 
overlooked. 

Before  each  visit,  lift  a  word  of  prayer  to  the 
throne  of  grace,  that  you  may  be  directed  and  aided 
in  the  solemn  interview. 

Sometimes  the  relatives  of  the  sick  are  unwilling 
that  they  should  be  seen  and  conversed  with  by  a 
clergyman.  It  is,  obviously,  no  part  of  his  duty  to 
force  his  way  into  a  patient's  chamber.  Yet  he  ought 
in  common  to  bear  testimony  against  a  repugnance 
at  once  so  heathenish  and  foolish. 

If  you  do  not  previously  know  the  character  of 
the  sick  person  whom  you  visit,  make  some  inquiries 
on  the  subject,  and  as  to  his  history,  and  opinions, 
and  the  state  of  his  mind.  But,  besides  this,  com- 
mence your  conversation  with  him,  (after  a  few  kind 
interrogatories  respecting  his  bodily  feelings,  &c.) 
with  queries  and  suggestions,  which  may  tend  to 
draw  from  himself  the  degree  of  his  knowledge,  and 
his  views,  hopes,  &c. 

Let  your  manner  of  address  by  the  bed-side  of  the 
sick  be  studiously  mild  and  tender.  Let  nothing  be 
said  calculated  to  jar  or  agitate,  excepting  what  fidelity 
to  the  soul  renders  necessary.  Be  plain,  simple,  and 
studiously  faithful  in  your  exhibitions  of  truth.  That 
is  not  a  time  for  any  nice  distinctions,  or  for  extend- 
ed reasoning.  Neither  is  it  a  time  for  unfaithful 
soothing,  or  for  saying,  "  peace,  peace,  when  there  is 
no  peace."  Where  there  is  evidently  no  well  found- 
ed hope,  guard  against  driving  to  despair;  but  guard, 
no  less  sacredly,  against  bolstering  up  a  hope  which 
will  be  likely  to  "  make  ashamed."     Let  your  con- 


VISITING.  157 

versations  and  visits  be  short.  The  effort  of  even  a 
few  minutes  in  speaking,  or  in  listening  to  a  speaker, 
is  often  very  oppressive  to  the  sick.  Do  not,  ordi- 
narily, allow  yourself  to  be  seated  by  the  bed-side  of 
one  who  is  really  ill,  longer  than  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  at  any  one  time,  unless  the  case  be  very  pecu- 
liar, or  you  have  very  conclusive  evidence  that  your 
presence  is  not  burdensome. 

Let  your  prayer's  in  the  apartment  of  the  sick,  be 
tender, — sympathetic, — appropriate  from  beginning 
to  end, — short, — and  as  much  calculated  as  possible 
to  fix,  calm,  and  enlighten  the  mind  of  the  sufferer, 
and  to  direct  his  meditations.  It  is  very  injudicious 
to  make  prayers  in  a  sick  chamber,  as  they  often  are 
pointless,  tedious,  general,  inapplicable  in  the  greater 
part  of  their  structure,  or  loud  and  harsh  in  their 
manner.  Many  topics  proper  for  social  prayer,  on 
other  occasions,  ought  to  be  left  out  here;  and 
every  tone  adapted  to  the  stillness  and  sympathy  of 
a  sick  chamber. 

In  many  cases  it  is  desirable  to  converse  with  the 
sick  alone.  In  this  situation,  they  will  sometimes 
be  more  free  and  confidential  with  you;  and  you  will 
often  feel  at  liberty  to  converse  more  faithfully  and 
unreservedly  with  them.  But  every  thing  of  this 
kind  ought  to  be  avoided  in  those  cases  in  which  you 
might  be  exposed  to  the  charge  of  tamperinf^  with 
the  mind  of  the  patient,  in  reference  to  the  disposi- 
tion of  his  property,  or  with  regard  to  any  other 
worldly  or  delicate  concern. 

One  of  the  most  judicious  and  excellent  clergy- 
men that  I  ever  knew,  once  informed  me  that  he  was 
accustomed  to  make  a  point  of  visiting  the  females 

o 


158  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

of  his  congregation,  as  soon  as  propriety  admitted, 
after  the  births  of  their  children;  and  that  he  gene- 
rally found  them,  on  such  occasions,  in  a  state  of 
greater  tenderness  of  moral  feeling,  more  ready  to 
listen  to  serious  remarks,  and  more  deeply  sensible 
of  parental  responsibility  than  usual. 

Not  only  continue  to  visit  the  sick,  as  far  as  you 
may  be  able,  during  the  whole  course  of  their  con- 
finement; but  if  they  recover,  continue  to  visit 
THEM  while  convalescent,  and  afterwards.  This 
may  be  the  happy  means  of  fastening  on  their  minds 
serious  impressions  which  might  otherwise  have  va- 
nished with  their  disease.  If  they  die,  visit  their 
surviving  relatives,  with  respectful  attention,  more 
than  once  afterward.  The  occasion  may  prove  a  fa- 
vourable one  for  promoting  their  spiritual  interest. 

13.  Be  very  attentive  in  visiting  families,  which, 
by  the  loss  of  friends  or  property,  or  by  any  other 
dispensation  of  Providence,  are  in  depressed  cir- 
cumstances. Such  families  are  very  apt  to  be  neg- 
lected by  their  former  acquaintances;  and  they  are 
no  less  apt  to  be  very  sensitive  to  such  neglect,  and 
deeply  wounded  by  it.  Instead  of  diminishing  the 
frequency  of  your  visits  to  families  in  this  situation, 
rather  increase  it.  And  be  especially  careful  to  im- 
prove the  opportunity  which  visits  in  such  cases 
afford  to  recommend  religion.  The  minds  of  men 
are  seldom  more  open  to  religious  impressions,  than 
when  humbled  and  softened  by  calamity. 

II.  But  besides  visits  which  are  strictly  official 
in  their  character,  and  in  which  ministers  ought  to 
abound;  they  will  often  find  it  advantageous,  and  in- 
deed necessary,  to  pay  some  which  are  merely  so- 


VISITING.  159 

ciAL  AND  FKiENDLY.  Let  tliGsc  by  no  mcans  be 
neglected.  Their  uses  are  more  numerous  and  valu- 
able than  can  be  recited  in  a  short  compass.  Yet 
in  reference  to  them  also,  there  are  some  ccnitions 
and  counsels  which  are  worthy  of  your  notice. 

1.  And,  in  the  first  place,  let  even  your  shortest 
social  visits  be  made  with  prayer.  One  of  the 
most  eminent  private  Christians  I  ever  knew,  I  had 
good  reason  to  believe,  never  went  out  to  make  the 
slightest  call  on  a  friend,  without  spending,  at  least 
a  minute  or  two,  in  prayer  for  a  blessing  on  the  visit. 
And  why  is  not  this  always  proper  ?  He  who  con- 
trols and  directs  all  things  may,  for  aught  we  know, 
make  the  most  common  visit,  from  which  we  expect- 
ed no  special  result,  productive  of  rich  and  perma- 
nent blessings,  either  to  ourselves  or  to  others.  And 
is  it  .not  worth  while  to  ask  for  such  a  blessing?  To  do 
this,  in  all  cases,  w'ill,  I  know,  by  some,  be  accounted 
drudgery;  but  it  will  not  be  so  regarded  b)^  the  spi- 
ritual man. 

2.  Do   not  make  your  social  visits  so  numerous 

AS     TO    interfere    WITH    THOSE    WHICH    ARE    MORE 

IMPORTANT.  Pastoral  visits  are,  in  general,  far  more 
useful,  and  ought  to  occupy  a  large  portion  of  the 
time  which  a  minister  can  spare  from  his  other  olFi- 
cial  avocations.  It  would  be  unhappy,  therefore,  to 
allow  mere  social  calls  to  be  so  multiplied  as  mate- 
rially to  interfere  with  those  of  a  more  serious  and 
valuable  kind,  and  especially  to  shut  them  out  alto- 
gether. Let  the  latter,  then,  be  the  main  object  of 
your  attention:  but,  at  the  same  time,  embrace  every 
op])ortunity  which  the  occuiTences  of  each  day  may 
afford,  to  "drop  in"  at  the  house  of  one  and  another 


160  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

of  your  parishioners,  if  it  be  only  for  five  minutes, 
for  the  purpose  of  mutual  salutations  and  friendly 
inquiries.  Visits  of  this  transient  and  unceremonious 
kind  may  often  be  paid,  when  there  is  no  time  for 
those  of  a  more  formal  and  extended  character;  and 
they  are  adapted  in  various  ways  to  attach  your  peo- 
ple to  your  persons,  and  to  extend  your  influence 
among  them.  They  will  be  apt  to  consider  your 
pastoral  visits  as  an  official  matter;  but  your  social 
calls,  as  a  more  immediate  expression  oi  friendly 
feeling,  and,  therefore,  in  this  respect,  peculiarly  gra- 
tifying. If  you  could  possibly  find  time  enough  to 
pay  one  pastoral,  and  one  social  visit,  every  year, 
to  each  family  in  your  congregation,  you  would  exe- 
cute a  plan  approaching  as  nearly  to  what  appears  to 
me  desirable  in  this  respect,  as  one  minister  in  a 
hundred  is  likely  to  accomplish.  Where  a  congre- 
gation is  large  and  scattered,  even  this  is  beyond  the 
power  of  many  ministers. 

3.  Do  not  make  your  social  calls  too  frequent 
IN  PARTICULAR  FAMILIES.  Nothing  is  more  com- 
mon than  for  ministers  to  select  a  few  families  in 
their  respective  charges,  the  society  of  which  they 
find  peculiarly  agreeable,  and  in  which,  on  this  ac- 
count, they  visit  very  frequently.  They  are  seen, 
perhaps  going  to  those  houses  ten  or  a  dozen  times, 
where  they  go  to  others  once.  This  is  not,  in  com- 
mon, judicious.  For,  although  ministers,  like  other 
men,  will  have,  and  ought  to  be  allowed  to  have, 
their  particular  friends;  yet,  to  a  certain  extent,  they 
ought  to  deny  themselves  the  gratification  of  this 
feeling,  for  the  sake  of  promoting  their  usefulness 
among  all  classes  of  those  committed  to  their  caxe^ 


VISITING.  IGl 

And  this  remark  will  apply  the  more  strongly,  if  the 
particular  friends  in  question  happen  to  he  among  the 
most  wealthy  and  polished  of  their  congregation.  It 
has  an  ill  aspect,  which  no  preference  or  explanation 
can  fully  remove,  when  ministers  are  found  every 
week,  or  oftener,  in  the  houses  of  such  individuals, 
while,  perhaps,  for  a  year  together,  they  are  not 
found  in  the  dwellings  of  many  others  equally  wor- 
thy, and,  perhaps,  far  more  devoted  to  the  cause  of 
Christ.  But  there  is  another  consideration  worthy 
of  notice  here.  By  visiting  very  frequently  in  par- 
ticular families,  rely  on  it,  you  will  not  raise  your- 
self in  the  estimation  even  of  tliose  families  them- 
selves, hut  rather  the  reverse.  There  is  such  a  thing 
as  rendering  your  visits  cheap  by  too  frequent  repe- 
tition. However  they  may  love  your  company,  they 
will  venerate  you  the  more,  as  a  gospel  minister,  for 
seeing  you  withdrawing  your  attention,  in  part,  from 
themselves,  to  bestow  it  on  others,  especially  on  the 
poor,  the  afflicted,  and  the  friendless.  Besides,  when 
a  clergyman  is  seen  lounging  about  almost  daily,  in 
particular  families,  it  cannot  fail  of  being  considered 
as  ominous  of  neglect  in  his  study,  as  well  as  in 
other  departments  of  oiBcial  duty.  Indeed,  I  hold 
it  to  be  disreputable  for  a  clergyman,  at  any  time, 
and  in  any  families,  to  be  in  the  habit  of  making 
long  and  lounging  visits.  They  exhibit  him  as  an 
idle  man; — a  miserable  character  for  one  who  has 
been  set  to  "  watch  for  souls  as  he  who  must  give  an 
account." 

4.  While  you   indulge,  in  a  moderate  and  well- 
regulated  maimer,  i\\c  feelings  and  habits  of  private 


162  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

friendship  among  the  people  of  your  charge,  let  it  be 
manifest  that,  even   in   your  social   visits,   you  are 

QUITE  AS  ABLE  TO  FIND  THE  HOVEL  OF  THE  POOR- 
EST AND  MEANEST,  as  the  mansion  of  the  most  weal- 
thy. And  if  you  make  a  social  call  at  the  latter  more 
frequently  than  at  the  former,  let  it  be  seen  that  your 
object  is,  not  to  solicit  favours  for  yourself,  but  to 
obtain  aid  for  the  indigent,  the  sick,  and  the  forsaken. 
It  has  an  ill  aspect,  indeed,  when  a  minister  of  the 
gospel  is  found  begging  for  his  own  emolument,  or 
even  indirectly  endeavouring  to  attract  presents  to 
himself;  but  it  is  an  honour  rather  than  a  discredit  to 
him,  when  he  often  appears  as  a  beggar  for  others;  as 
the  advocate  of  the  poor,  the  almoner  of  the  widow 
and  the  orphan. 

5.  The  LENGTH  OF  YOUR  VISITS  is  a  point  well 
worthy  of  notice.  It  may  be  readily  granted,  indeed, 
that  in  reference  to  this  point  no  rules  either  absolute 
or  universal  can  be  laid  down.  Long  and  short  are 
relative  terms;  and  are  often  understood  very  differ- 
ently in  the  country,  and  in  large  towns.  But  this 
is  one  of  the  cases  in  which  it  is  better  to  err  on  the 
side  of  excessive  brevity  than  excessive  length.  It 
appears  to  me,  then,  that,  on  ordinary  occasions,  in- 
stead of  spending  four  or  five  hours  in  one  visit,  it  is 
preferable  to  divide  that  time  into  four,  five,  or  even 
more  visits,  especially  if  they  be  merely  of  the  social 
kind; — and  in  populous  places,  several  visits  of  the 
social  kind,  may  be  easily  despatched  within  an  hour. 
Here,  as  in  preaching,  it  is  better  to  rise  and  take 
your  leave,  while  all  are  interested,  and  wishing  you 
to  stay  longer,  than  to  hang  on  until  conversation 


VISITING.  163 

flags;  until  some  members  of  the  circle  become  im- 
patient at  their  detention;  and,  perhaps,  all  begin  to 
wish  you  gone. 

Nor  ought  you  to  suppose  that  this  is  a  matter 
which  will  claim  your  attention  only  by  and  by, 
when  you  become  a  minister.  It  is  worthy  of  your 
attention  now.  While  you  are  a  student,  you  should 
aim  to  form  such  habits,  in  reference  to  this,  as  well 
as  other  subjects,  as  will  be  suitable  to  go  with  you 
through  life.  Let  me  say,  then,  that  now,  and  at  all 
times,  if  you  wish  your  visits  to  be  welcome,  make 
THEM  SHORT.  He  who  sits  several  hours  in  a  single 
visit,  ought  not  only  to  be  very  much  at  leisure  him- 
self; but  he  ought  also  to  be  very  sure  that  those 
whose  time  he  is  occupying,  have  nothing  to  do. 
Young  and  inexperienced  persons  are  apt  to  feel  as 
if  they  were  the  oiily  visiters  in  the  circles  to  which 
they  resort.  They  forget  to  calculate  what  the  con- 
sequence must  be  to  the  order  and  employments  go- 
ing on  in  those  circles  respectively,  when  perhaps, 
the  same  encroachments  on  their  time  are  made  by 
other  visiters  five  or  six  times  every  week.  More 
than  this.  Endeavour  early  to  learn  the  art  of  dis- 
covering, by  the  appearance  of  things,  at  a  glance, 
whether  the  members  of  the  family  in  which  you 
visit,  are  at  leisure  to  attend  upon  you,  or  very  busy, 
and  desirous  of  being  occupied.  If  you  have  reason 
to  suppose  that  the  latter  is  the  case;  if  you  know 
that  they  have  been  called  from  some  urgent  em- 
ployment to  receive  you;  or,  if  you  perceive,  that, 
by  coming  in,  you  have  interfered  with  a  projected 
walk  or  ride,  it  is  always  better  immediately  to  with- 
draw. 


164  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

Let  this  principle  more  especially  guide  you  in 
your  visits  abroad,  as  well  as  at  home,  to  clergymen , 
and  other  professional  men,  who,  from  their  occupy- 
ing public  stations,  are  less  masters  of  their  own  time 
than  most  others;  and  more  incommoded,  of  course, 
])y  frequent  and  tedious  intrusions  on  their  time. 
Their  is  indeed,  an  old  French  proverb,  which  says, 
^'that  it  is  never  any  interruption  for  one  literary 
man  to  visit  another."  I  protest  against  the  unquali- 
fied application  of  this  proverb,  as  a  dreadful  nuisance. 
Lord  Bacon  was  accustomed,  with  emphasis  to  say, 
"  Temporis  fures  amici.'^  Cotton  Mather,  and 
after  him  Dr.  Watts,  caused  to  be  inscribed  in  large 
letters  over  his  study  door,  these  words,  "Be  short." 
When  an  acquaintance,  who  was  rather  prone  to  be 
tedious,  called  once  on  the  venerable  Dr.  Doddridge, 
and  said,  after  seating  himself,  "I  hope.  Sir,  I  do  not 
interrupt  you," — that  excellent  and  laborious  divine 
replied,  with  characteristic  frankness,  "  To  be  sure 
you  do.''^  Clergymen,  if  those  of  no  other  station 
do  so,  ought  to  sympathize  with  one  another  on  this 
point.  And,  I  will  add,  if  no  others  venture  to  adopt 
so  candid  a  practice,  they  ought  to  learn  and  adopt  the 
important  art  of  hinting  when  they  are  particularly 
busy,  and  thus  abridging  interviews  which  are  not 
likely  to  be  very  useful.  This  appears  to  me  a 
matter  in  which  the  conscience  of  a  good  man  must 
be  deeply  engaged.  He  whose  time  is  much  occu- 
pied in  visiting  the  sick  and  the  dying,  in  instructing 
the  ignorant,  counselling  the  anxious,  and  preparing 
for  the  pulpit  those  discourses  with  which  the  welfare 
of  multitudes  may  be  connected; — surely  cannot 
feel  at  liberty  frequently  to  waste,  or  to  allow  others 


VISITING.  165 

to  waste  for  him,  hours,  or  even  moments,  in  the 
mere  chit-chat  of  ceremonious  visits. 

A  strict  attention  to  this  point  will  be  of  great  im- 
portance to  you  during  your  connexion  with  the 
Theological  Seminary.  Where  a  hundred  young 
men  are  assembled  for  the  purpose  of  Biblical  and 
Theological  study,  the  greater  part  of  them  under 
the  same  roof,  if  there  be  any  intercourse  between 
them  at  all,  the  utmost  vigilance  on  all  hands,  will 
be  requisite  to  prevent  it  from  degenerating  into  an 
inconvenience,  and  a  burden.  Those  who  are  not 
habitual  and  systematic  students  themsclres,  can 
hardly  ever  be  made  to  appreciate  the  importance  of 
allowing  others  to  be  so.  Hence  no  small  portion  of 
their  time  is  spent  in  unnecessary,  and  often  perfectly 
useless  calls  at  the  rooms  of  others;  thus  committing 
the  double  sin,  of  squandering  their  own  time,  and 
encroaching  on  that  of  their  neighbours,  which,  but 
for  them,  might  be  very  profitably  spent. 

Set  yourself  mildly  and  delicately,  but  firmly,  in 
opposition  to  these  encroachments.  Cause  it  to  be 
distinctly  understood,  that  you  wish  to  enjoy  certain 
definite  hours  for  unbroken  study;  and  if  there  be 
any  with  whom  this  understanding  is  not  sufficient,  I 
would  deliberately  advise  that  you  lock  i/ourdoo}', a.nd 
utterly  disregard  all  knocks,  until  the  portion  of  time 
devoted  to  study  shall  have  closed.  Nor  ought  any  to 
complain  of  your  resorting  to  such  means.  You  may 
thereby  incommode  or  dissappointan  individual  now 
and  then;  but  the  sum  of  evil  will  be  greatly  dimin- 
ished. 

6.  Be  careful,  in  visiting  private  families,  not  to 

MAKE  YOUR    CALLS    AT  UNSEASONABLE    HOURS.       The 


166  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

law  of  custom  has  proscribed  certain  hours  for  visiting 
as  unseasonable;  and  the  law  of  domestic  conveni- 
ence entirely  coincides  with  that  of  custom.     In  all 
well  regulated  families,  there  are  certain  hours  set  apart 
for  particular  family  duties  and  arrangements.     To 
tliese  objects  are  commonly  devoted  three  or  four 
hours  immediately  following  breakfast,  and  the  same 
number    immediately    following    dinner.      To   call, 
during  these  hours,  (I  refer  now  to  populous  towns, 
rather  than  to  retired  country  places,)  especially  on 
the  female  members  of  a  family,  is  generally  agreed, 
by  a  sort  of  conventional  understanding,  to  be  an 
impropriety  unless  in  special  cases,  or  among  intimate 
friends.     This  is  so  extensively  known,  that  it  might 
seem  unnecessary  to  mention  it,  did  not  some  liber- 
ally educated  young  men,  as  well  as  others,  so  fre- 
quently appear  to  lose  sight  of  it.     Make  the  case 
your  own.     Suppose  any  one  to  call  on  your  family 
at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  to  sit  until  nine 
or  ten  in  the  evening,  and  to  require  all  this  time  to 
be  attended  by  one  or  more  individuals  of  the  family 
circle; — what  would  be  the  consequence  ?     You  have 
only  to  imagine  calls  of  this  kind  made  frequently, 
and  to  what  pass  would  domestic  order  and  arrange- 
ments be  brought  ?      It  would   be   utterly  wrong, 
indeed,  on  the  one  hand,  to  apply  a  principle  of  this 
kind  so  rigidly  as  to  preclude  the  performance  of  an 
obvious  duty.     But,  on  the  other  hand,  it  would  be, 
to  say  the  least,  quite  as  improper  to  subject  a  family, 
from  time  to  time,  to  a  very  great  inconvenience,  for 
the  purpose  of  averting  from  yourself  a  small  one. 
Endeavour  then,  as  far  as  possible,  to  make  your 
calls  at  those  seasons  which  are  commonly  set  apart, 


VISITING.  167 

in  orderly  families,  to  social  purposes;  by  which  all 
understand  to  be  meant  the  latter  part  of  the  fore- 
noon, and  the  evening.  You  will  be  at  sucli  seasons, 
a  far  more  welcome  visitant,  and  your  visits  will,  of 
course,  be  much  more  likely  to  be  pleasant  to  your- 
self, and  useful  to  others. 

7.  If  your  lot  should  be  cast  in  a  populous  town, 
you  will  have  frequent  invitations  to  attend  dining 
PARTIES.  In  some  large  cities  invitations  of  this 
kind  are  received,  if  not  for  every  day,  at  least  seve- 
ral times  in  each  week.  Let  me  advise  you  to  be 
very  sparing  in  your  attendance  on  such  parties. 
The  tendency  of  frequent  luxurious  feasting  is,  to 
injure  the  health;  to  dissipate  the  mind;  to  indispose 
for  theological  study;  to  undermine  all  spirituality; 
to  lower  the  tone  of  ministerial  fidelity  and  influence; 
and  in  various  wa3S  to  ensnare  those  who  indulge  in 
it.  I  have  seldom  known  any  minister  who  abound- 
ed in  this  practice,  without  incurring  serious  disad- 
vantage in  consequence  of  it;  and  in  some  cases  the 
results  have  been  of  the  most  deplorable  kind.  If  I 
were  to  lay  down  a  rule  on  this  subject,  I  would  say, 
however  numerous  the  invitations  which  you  may 
receive,  never,  as  a  habit,  accept  of  more  than  one  in 
a  fortnight,  or  even  three  iveeks.  By  this  means 
your  health  will  be  better; — your  head  clearer; — 
your  feelings  more  in  harmony  with  your  profession; 
and  the  impression  left  on  the  minds  of  those  who 
invite  you,  more  respectful  and  salutary. 

8.  Be  careful,  also,  that  tour  conversation  and 
DEPORTMENT  AT  DINING  PARTIES,  be  exemplary  and 
even  edifying.  It  would  be  on  many  occasions, 
indeed,  quite  unseasonable  to  make  at  the  dinner  table 


168  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

a  formal  address  on  any  point  of  theology  or  of  prac- 
tical religion.  How  far,  or  in  what  cases,  the  subject 
may  be  directly  introduced  at  all,  where  the  company 
is  mixed,  must  be  decided  by  good  sense,  and  a 
knowledge  of  the  world,  under  the  guidance  of  a 
prevailing  taste  for  spiritual  things.  I  have  known 
quite  as  much  mischief  arise,  on  some  occasions,  from 
an  ill-judged  and  ill-managed  introduction  of  this 
subject,  as,  on  other  occasions,  from  a  palpable  and 
improper  neglect  of  it.  Wisdom  is  profitable  to 
direct.  Humbly  seek  direction  in  each  case,  and  you 
will  be  led,  substantially,  in  the  right  way.  But 
there  are  some  rules  which  a  minister  of  the  gospel, 
when  seated  with  a  dining  party,  may  and  ought  to 
observe,  in  all  cases,  and  which  can  never  give  the 
smallest  offence,  when  the  company  is — as  we  may 
reasonably  take  for  granted  it  always  will  be  when 
he  is  present — a  decent  one.  Allow  me  to  hint  at  a 
few  of  them.  Some  of  those  which  I  shall  mention, 
have  been  partly  brought  into  view  before  j  but  I 
choose  to  present  them  in  a  group  in  this  place. 

Never  indulge,  at  the  dining  table,  in  loud  talking 
or  boisterous  mirth.  This  is,  in  most  cases,  a  mark 
of  vulgarity,  or  of  something  worse.  And  if  it  occur 
toward  the  close  of  dinner,  it  may  excite  a  suspicion, 
in  those  who  have  not  observed  your  strictly  tem- 
perate drinking, — that  you  are  animated  by  wine. 

Do  not  allow  yourself  to  talk  much  of  the  excel- 
lence of  particular  articles  of  food  or  kinds  of  cook- 
ery, or  of  the  qualities  of  different  wines.  It  is  un- 
worthy of  a  minister  of  the  gospel  to  manifest,  or 
to  feel,  a  disposition  to  attend  to  matters  of  this  kind. 
Do  not  even  praise,  in  a  pointed  or  conspicuous  way. 


VISITING.  169 

any  article  before  you  on  tlic  table.  Give  no  occa- 
sion to  any  one  to  remark,  as  has  often  been  sarcasti- 
cally done,  that  "  the  parson  is  very  fond  of  good 
eating  and  drinking,"  If  you  enjoy  an  article  of 
food  or  drink,  do  it  pretty  much  in  silence;  or  if  a 
strong  commendation  of  what  you  are  eating,  be 
pointedly  addressed  to  you  by  another,  assent  to  it, 
moderately,  if  you  can  consistently  with  candour; 
but  not  with  that  warmth  and  repetition  which  evince 
particular  engagement  of  mind. 

While  you  forbear  to  converse  in  a  style  which 
savours  of  the  epicure  and  the  wine-bibber;  be  careful 
to  embrace  every  opportunity  to  throw  out  good 
sentiments  and  pious  hints.  If  you  see  no  favoura- 
ble opening  to  speak  directly  on  the  most  precious  of 
all  subjects,  there  are  many  others,  which  you  may 
introduce  to  all  companies,  without  offence,  and  with 
much  utility.  Such,  for  example,  as  literature— edu- 
cation— new  books — humane  and  benevolent  institu- 
tions— plans  of  usefulness — striking  anecdotes,  adapt- 
ed to  impress  good  and  seasonable  sentiments — in 
short,  any  thing  which  may  tend  to  benefit  those 
around  you,  and  to  show  that  your  own  mind  is 
running  on  something  better  than  mere  animal  in- 
dulgence. 

Do  not  harangiie  at  dinner  tables.  It  is  unplea- 
sant to  hear  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  especially  a 
young  one,  address  those  around  a  convivial  board, 
in  a  preaching,  authoritative  manner.  It  is  unsuita- 
ble to  a  festive  occasion,  and  revolting  to  delicate 
minds.  Converse  in  a  low,  modest,  respectful  tone, 
with  those  who  are  seated  near  )^ou,  and  seldom 
elevate  your  voice  so  as  to  be  heard  by  the  whole 
p 


170  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

company,  unless  you  are  questioned,  or  otherwise 
addressed,  by  some  one  at  a  remote  end  of  the  table; 
and,  even  then,  let  your  manner  be  studiously  mild, 
unostentatious  and  remote  from  dogmatism. 

Avoid  with  special  care  all  controversy ,  especially 
religious  controversy,  on  such  occasions.  It  is  pe- 
culiarly inappropriate  at  convivial  meetings.  You 
must  be  very  hard  pushed  indeed,  not  to  be  able, 
with  a  very  small  measure  of  address  and  delicacy, 
to  put  aside  every  thing  of  this  kind,  without  giving 
offence. 

Instead  of  eating  more  than  usual  at  a  table  where 
there  is  a  great  variety  of  delicacies,  rather  eat  less. 
Eating,  even  a  little,  of  various  attractive  dishes,  is 
more  burdensome  to  most  stomachs  than  an  equal 
quantity  of  a  single  plain  dish.  A  person  of  studious 
habits  can  rarely  go  far  in  indulgences  of  this  kind 
with  impunity,  and  ought,  of  course,  where  there  is 
much  temptation,  to  set  a  double  guard  on  his  appe- 
tite. Besides,  it  has  a  much  better  appearance,  for 
one  who  is  known,  in  common,  to  live  plainly  (as 
most  clergymen  do,  and  as  all  ought  to  do)  to  mani- 
fest no  particular  disposition  for  extra  indulgence 
when  many  delicacies  are  before  him. 

Be  careful  always  to  set  an  example  of  abstinence 
from  all  intoxicating  di'inlts,  when  dining  in 
company.  That  you  will,  in  all  circumstances,  when 
in  health,  wholly  abstain  from  ardent  sjmnts,  I  take 
for  granted.  But  I  have  thought  it  my  duty  to  go 
further.  /  drink  nothing  but  water,  excepting  at 
the  sacramental  table.  And  I  would  earnestly  re- 
commend to  you  to  do  the  same.  I  have  given  no 
public  pledge  with  regard  to  ivine,  &c.,  as  I  have 


VISITING.  171 

with  respect  to  ardent  spirits.  But  verily  believing 
that  entire  abstinence  from  all  intoxicating  drinks  has 
been  of  signal  service  to  my  health,  and  that  the 
influence  of  this  example  in  all,  and  especially  in 
TYiinisters  of  the  gospel,  is  salutary  to  a  very  impor- 
tant degree,  I  act  on  the  principle  which  I  have 
stated  in  all  companies,  and  on  all  occasions.  The 
example  of  a  minister  is  so  unspeakably  important, 
tJKit  you  ought  to  be  continually  on  the  watch  to 
shun  the  very  appearance  of  evil.  And  the  wide 
spreading  desolation  occasioned  by  stimulating  drinks, 
is  such,  as  that  every  clergyman  ought  to  consider 
himself  as  peculiarly  called  upon  to  act  as  a  kind  of 
official  conservator  of  the  public  virtue  in  relation  to 
this  point. 

Never  sit  long  at  the  dinner  table,  after  the  cloth 
is  removed.  Not  only  because  a  clergyman  is  to  be 
supposed  not  to  have  time  to  waste  in  this  manner; 
but  also  for  tlie  purpose  of  bearing  a  practical  testi- 
mony against  the  habit  of  "  tarrying  long  at  the 
wine"  after  dinner. 

9.  In  all  your  visits,  as  far  as  possible,  avoib 
GIVING  TROUBLE.  Agaiust  tliis  rule  perhaps  none 
are  more  apt  to  offend  than  inexperienced  young 
men,  who  have  no  families  of  their  own,  and  whose 
attention  has  never  been  practically  drawn  to  the 
different  ways  and  degrees  in  which  a  single  trouble- 
some visiter  may  break  in  on  the  order,  and  impair 
the  comfort  of  a  family. 

While  you  consult  your  own  comfort,  then,  to  a 
reasonable  extent,  wherever  you  go,  remember  that 
the  comfort  of  others  is  to  be  quite  as  carefully  con- 
sulted.    This  is  to  be  done  by  making  as  few  de- 


172  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

inands  on  their  time  and  attention  as  may  be;  by 
encroaching  as  little  as  you  can  on  the  ordinary  rou- 
tine of  their  movements;  by  having  as  few  wants  and 
peculiarities  as  possible;  by  never  calling  upon  them, 
unless,  in  case  of  necessity,  to  prepare  a  meal  for  you 
at  an  unseasonable  time,  and  after  their  own  is  com- 
pleted; by  eating  and  drinking  whatever  is  set  before 
you,  without  exciting  the  suspicion  that  you  are  not 
suited;  and  by  endeavouring,  in  every  variety  of 
method,  incapable  of  being  specified,  to  accommodate 
yourself  to  the  habits  and  comforts  of  those  whom 
you  visit. 

Every  one  knows  that,  when  he  goes  to  a  tavern, 
the  more  good  things  he  calls  for,  and  the  more  fully 
he  puts  in  requisition  all  the  luxuries,  resources,  and 
servants  of  the  house,  the  more  pleasure  he  gives. 
But  you  will  never,  I  trust,  feel  yourself  at  liberty  to 
act  upon  this  principle,  even  in  a  tavern,  but,  above 
all,  when  you  avail  yourself  of  the  hospitality  of  your 
friends. 

When  you  are  an  inmate,  then,  in  a  friend's  fa- 
mily, for  a  single  day,  or  longer,  be  careful,  as  far  as 
possible,to  conform,  in  every  minute  particular,  to 
the  stated  order  of  the  family.  Allow  no  part  of  it 
to  be  set  aside  for  your  sake.  Ascertain  the  usual 
hours  for  taking  their  several  meals,  and  never  detain 
them  a  single  moment,  if  you  can  possibly  avoid  it. 
Make  a  point  of  being  within  at  an  early  hour  in  the 
evening,  so  as  not  to  interfere  with  the  usual  time  for 
domestic  worship,  and  retiring  to  rest.  Employ  the 
servants  as  little  as  possible  in  waiting  upon  you,  and 
in  going  on  errands  for  your  accommodation.  In 
short,  study  to  accommodate  all  your  movements  ta 


VISITING.  173 

the  ordinary  liahits  and  convenience  of  the  family  to 
which  you  are  indebted  for  its  hospitality.  Christian 
henevolence  demands  tliat  you  pursue  this  course. 
It  is  only  "doing  to  others  as  you  would  that  they 
should  do  unto  you."  A  regard  to  your  own  inter- 
est, also,  demands  it  of  you.  For  it  cannot  be 
doubted  that  those  who  find  you  a  very  troublesome 
guest,  will  be  glad  of  your  departure,  and  not  very 
anxious  that  you  should  repeat  your  visit. 

10.  Be  careful  in  receiving,  as  well  as  in  pay- 
ing VISITS.  When  you  have  a  house  of  your  own, 
be  hospitable.  Your  duty  as  a  Christian,  and  as  a 
minister  will  demand  it.  Receive  and  treat  your 
friends  with  unaffected  benevolence  and  kindness. 
Entertain  them  comfortably,  but  always  plainly. 
"  Be  not  forgetful  to  entertain  strangers,  for  thereby 
some  have  entertained  angels  unawares."  But  re- 
member that  what  is  called  hospitality  may  be  car- 
ried too  far.  When  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  under 
the  notion  of  complying  with  this  duty,  "  keeps  open 
house,"  and  allows  his  dwelling  to  be  made  a  tavern., 
he  does  injustice  to  his  family,  and  criminally  con- 
sumes his  own  time.  For  to  every  guest  some  time 
must  be  devoted,  and  to  some  much  time.  I  have 
known  some  clergymen  in  populous  towns,  a  large 
portion  of  whose  time  was  employed  in  this  manner, 
to  the  utter  destruction  of  their  studies;  and  whose 
households  were  thereby  kept  in  a  course  of  constant 
toil  and  confusion.  As  to  the  question  how  far  you 
ought  to  go,  in  this  respect,  I  can  lay  down  no  gene- 
ral rule.     Christian  wisdom  must  direct  you. 

11.  When  you  visit  large  towns,  do  not  calcu- 
late   ON  GOING    TO    LODGE    AT    THE  HOUSE    OF    THE 
P* 


174  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

MINISTER  with  whom  you  may  happen  to  be  ac- 
quainted. Peculiar  intimacy  may  indeed  render  this 
strictly  proper;  but  never  do  it,  without  being  deci- 
sively, and  even  pj^essingly  invited.  Your  case,  it 
is  true,'  is  but  one;  yet  if  two  or  three  such  cases 
occur  every  week,  it  is  easy  to  see  what  the  conse- 
quence must  be  to  those  ministers  who  live  in  popu- 
lous places.  A  little  reflection  will  show  how  you 
ought  to  act. 

12.  My  last  counsel  on  this  subject  is,  that  you 
never  enter   any  house  to  pay   the   shortest   visit, 

WITHOUT  LEAVING    SOME  TESTIMONY    IN  FAVOUR    OF 

RELIGION.     Even  where  there  is  no  time  or  good 
opening  for  direct  address,  or  even  inquiry  concern- 
ing the  spiritual  interests  of  those  whom  you  address; 
you  may  still  speak  a  word  for  your  Master,  and 
leave   a  hint, — if  it  be  but  a  hint — to  his  honour 
behind  you.     A  single  sentence  expressive   of  trust 
in  God,  or  some  other  pious  sentiment; — a  reference 
to  his  all-governing  Providence,  and  the  dependence 
of  all  creatures  on  his  power; — a  suggestion  respect- 
ing the  uncertainty  of  all  worldly  possessions,  the 
stability  and  infinite  value  of  heavenly  treasures,  and 
the  blessedness  of  those  who  have  a  well-founded 
hope  in  Christ; — an  allusion  to  the  superior  import- 
ance of  spiritual  health,  where  disease  of  body  is 
complained  of; — a  mild  and  friendly  cheek  of  anxie- 
ty, where  an  inordinate  share  of  it  is  expressed,  by 
directing  the  thoughts  of  the  anxious  to  the  adorable 
government  of  God; — a  sentence  or  two  of  this  kind, 
uttered,  not  with  formality,  but  with  mild  and  affec- 
tionate simplicity,  may  be  "a  word  in  season,"  a 
means  of  incalculable  benefit  to  those  to  whom,  it  is 


VISITING.  175 

addressed.  Many  a  time  has  a  short  sentence,  spoken 
in  the  fear  of  God,  and  from  a  tender  love  to  souls, 
though  perhaps,  soon  forgotten  by  the  speaker,  proved 
an  instrument  of  eternal  benefit  to  some  individual  or 
family,  where  such  a  result  was  least  expected. 


LETTER    VII. 


And  let  us  consider  one  another,  to  provoke  unto  love,  and  to  good 
works. — Heb.  x.  24. 


HABITS  IN  THE  SEMINARY  GENERALLY. 
My  DEAR  YOUNG  FRIEND, 

You  are  no  longer  a  school-boy,  nor  even  a  col- 
lege student.  Having  become  a  man,  you  will  be 
expected  to  put  away  childish  things.  Having 
taken  your  place  in  a  theological  seminary,  as  a  can- 
didate for  the  holy  ministry,  you  thereby  give  a  so- 
lemn pledge  that  every  thing  weak,  irregular  and 
disorderly :  every  thing  calculated  to  retard  your  own 
progress,  or  to  offend  others,  shall  be  carefully  avoid- 
ed. Many,  indeed,  carry  this  idea  so  far  as  to  imagine 
that,  in  a  theological  institution,  there  can  be  no  need 
for  regulation  or  discipline  at  all.  They  imagine 
that  all  candidates  for  the  sacred  office  will,  of  course, 
have  so  much  gravity,  prudence,  sense  of  decorum, 
and  fixed  religious  principle,  as  to  render  all  specific 
measures  for  maintaining  order  altogether  unneces- 
sary. And  hence  it  is,  that  such  persons  consider  a 
system  of  rules,  intended  to  control  the  personal  de- 
portment of  such  students,  as  altogether  superfluous, 
if  not  an  unworthy  reflection  on  their  character. 


HABITS  IN  THE  SEBIINARY.  177 

Such  persons,  however,  take  a  hasty  and  narrow 
view  of  the  subject.  Their  impressions  are  not  de- 
rived from  experience.  They  forget  that  the  greater 
part  of  an  associated  band  of  theological  students 
have  just  left  college;  and  that  there  they  have  been 
accustomed  to  a  certain  set  of  habits  appropriate  to 
institutions  in  which  the  regular  and  the  disorderly 
are  mingled  together,  and  in  which  puerility,  and  as 
mucli  disregard  of  rule  as  can  be  ventured  upon,  are 
apt  to  be  indulged  by  many.  There  students  who 
profess  to  be  pious,  are,  as  a  matter  of  course,  sub- 
jected to  the  same  regulations  wliich  bind  the  most 
licentious  and  unrul}^  Accordingly,  they  become 
habituated  to  that  constant  pressure  of  college  au- 
thority, which  being  found  necessary  for  others,  is 
extended  to  them. 

With  these  habits  they  enter  a  theological  semi- 
nar}-;  in  which  the  same  rigor  of  inspection,  and  the 
same  strictness  of  regulation,  in  detail,  are  considered 
as  unnecessary,  and  even  as  improper.  In  such  cir- 
cumstances, no  wonder  that  their  first  impressions 
are  those  of  unlimited  liberty.  No  wonder  that,  in 
a  few  instances,  they  are  found  to  need  a  monitor,  to 
remind  them,  that,  although  their  personal  habits, 
and  their  application  to  study,  ought  now  to  be  left 
more  to  their  own  sense  of  duty  than  formerly,  rule 
and  order  are  still  indispensable.  And  some  are 
evidently  more  slow  than  others  in  accommodating 
their  habits  to  the  new  system  under  which  they  are 
placed. 

But,  truly,  if  young  men  of  from  twenty  to  twenty- 
five  years  of  age;  all  professors  of  religion;  all  con- 
sidered,   in   a  judgment   of  charity,   as   pious;    all 


178  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

candidates  for  the  holy  mintstry;  and  all  supposed 
to  be  under  the  influence  of  those  pure  principles, 
and  elevated  views  which  correspond  with  that 
sacred  office: — I  say,  if  among  such  a  body  of  young- 
men,  there  be  any  individuals  who  stand  in  need  of 
that  minute  inspection  and  regulation  which  are  ne- 
cessary in  colleges;  a  theological  seminary  is  no 
place  for  them,  nor  the  gospel  ministry  an  office 
which  they  ought  ever  to  seek.  The  longer  I  have 
the  opportunity  of  observing  and  reflecting  on  this 
matter,  the  more  fully  I  am  persuaded,  that  the  petty 
details  of  academic  or  collegiate  control  cannot  be 
considered  as  apjDlicable  to  theological  seminaries; 
and  that  the  theological  student,  who,  while  in  the 
enjoyment  of  health,  needs  to  be  frequently  reminded 
of  any  prominent  delinquency,  in  reference  to  the 
mild  rules  under  which  he  has  voluntarily  placed 
himself,  and  which  he  has  solemnly  promised  to 
obey,  ought  to  be  dismissed  from  the  institution. 
He  shows  either  a  want  of  princij)le,  or  a  want  of 
consideration  and  circumspection,  which  afford  a 
melancholy  prognostic  of  usefulness  as  a  minister. 
If  there  be  a  society  on  earth,  the  character  of  which 
may  be  supposed  to  supersede  the  necessity  of  a 
very  extended  code  of  personal  regulation,  surely  it 
is  a  band  of  the  sons  of  the  church,  assembled  to  put 
themselves  under  training  for  the  ministry  of  re- 
conciliation. 

But  still,  a  degree  of  regulation  is  indispensable. 
The  fact  is,  that  if  a  hundred  clergymen  of  the 
maturest  age,  and  of  the  most  eminent  piety  and 
wisdom,  could  be  supposed  to  be  brought  together, 
and  placed  in  the  situation  in  which  you  and  your 


HABITS  IN  THE  SEMINARY.  179 

companions  arc  placed,  they  would  not  only  need  a 
system  of  rules,  but  also  a  system  of  measures  for 
enforcing  them.  The  best  men  differ  in  their  natural 
temper,  in  their  tastes,  habits,  and  general  casts  of 
character.  What  one  feels  to  be  no  inconvenience  to 
him  is  intolerable  to  another.  What  an  individual 
might  do  without  sin  or  mischief,  if  done  by  half  a 
dozen,  or  a  dozen,  might  be  extensively  mischievous. 
A  strict  attention  to  some  rules,  then,  even  in  the 
society  of  the  most  pious  and  exemplary,  is  altogether 
necessary.  I  should  not,  therefore,  consider  my 
system  of  advices  by  any  means  complete,  as  to  its 
parts,  if  I  did  not  offer  you  a  few  counsels  in  refer- 
ence to  your  general  deportment  in  the  seminary. 
And  in  this,  as  in  other  cases,  it  is  pleasing  to  reflect, 
that  every  good  habit  which  you  form  here,  will  be 
likely  to  exert  a  favourable  influence  on  your  char- 
acter as  long  as  you  live. 

1.  Ponder  often   and   deeply  in  your  mind  the 

ADVANTAGES    WHICH    MAT    BE     DERIVED    FROM   SUCH 

AN  INSTITUTION.  Many  members  of  this,  and  of 
other  theological  seminaries,  I  have  no  doubt,  en- 
tirely fail  of  receiving  much  of  the  benefit  which 
they  might  receive,  and  certainly  ought  to  receive, 
from  their  not  taking  just  and  adequate  views  of  the 
advantages  within  their  reach;  and,  of  course,  not 
habitually  aiming  to  improve  them  to  the  utmost. 
No  one  will  be  likely  to  attain  that  which  he  does 
not  contemplate  or  seek.  It  is  certain  that  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  in 
founding  the  seminary  of  which  you  are  a  member, 
formed  large  expectations  of  the  benefits  likely  to 
result  from  it  to  their  rising  ministry,  and,  through 


180  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

them,  to  the  Church  over  which  they  preside.  In 
bringing  together  large  numbers  of  theological  stu- 
dents, under  the  same  roof,  and  the  same  teachers, 
and  placing  them  in  circumstances  calculated  to 
awaken  every  intellectual  power;  to  kindle  into  a 
flame  every  holy  affection;  and  to  bind  every  one 
to  his  fellows  by  indissoluble  ties;  they  fully  ex- 
pected to  see  a  race  of  ministers  rising  up  superior, 
as  a  body,  to  those  who  had  not  enjoyed  the  same 
advantages: — men  of  more  profound,  extensive  and 
accurate  knowledge;  of  more  ardent  piety;  of  more 
united  views  and  plans;  and  prepared  to  act  together 
in  promoting  the  Redeemer's  kingdom,  with  more 
harmony,  zeal  and  efficiency,  than  those  who  had  not 
been  placed  in  a  similar  relation  to  each  other.  And, 
truly,  when  we  contemplate  what  the  society  of  such 
an  institution  might  be,  and  ought  to  be;  what  pure 
and  exalted  friendships  might  be  expected  to  reign 
among  a  hundred  candidates  for  the  sacred  office,  all 
engaged  together  in  the  pursuit  of  the  best  species  of 
knowledge;  what  holy  emulation  in  study;  what 
mutual  and  delightful  aid  in  the  investigation  of 
truth;  what  a  bright  and  steady  flame  of  piety; 
what  unceasing  stimulants  to  love  and  good  works; 
what  preparation  to  go  forth  as  a  band  of  brethren, 
united  in  every  effort,  and  carrying  light  and  bless- 
ing wherever  they  go; — we  shall  readily  conclude 
that  the  venerable  Assembly  did  not  expect  more 
than  was  reasonable.  And,  certainly,  so  far  as  any 
have  failed  of  attaining  these  rich  advantages,  and 
realizing  all  these  expectations,  it  has  been  their  own 
fault.  For  I  can  scarcely  conceive  of  a  society  better 
adapted  to  promote  the  richest  growth  in  knowledge, 


HABITS  IN  THE   SE3IINARY.  181 

to  nurture  the  most  elevated  piety,  and  to  cement 
the  firmest  and  most  sanctified  union  of  hearts,  than 
that  which  is  assembled  at  a  theological  seminary. 
And  one  great  reason,  I  have  no  doubt,  why  it  has 
proved  to  many  who  have  been  connected  with  it. 
both  less  pleasant,  and  less  beneficial  than  it  ought  to 
have  been,  is,  that  they  have  neither  duly  appreciated 
the  advantages  which  were  within  their  reach,  nor 
aimed,  with  suitable  diligence,  or  with  a  proper 
spirit,  to  avail  themselves  of  these  advantages.  In 
vain  are  the  richest  treasures  strewed  around  us,  if 
we  have  neither  the  skill  nor  the  disposition  to 
make  them  our  own. 

If,  then,  you  wish  to  gain  the  whole  benefit  whicii 
you  ought  to  gain,  from  your  connexion  with  this 
institution,  take  large  views  of  the  advantages  which 
may  justly  be  sought  and  expected  in  such  a  society, 
and  with  a  steady  aim,  and  indefatigable  perseverance, 
pursue  the  attainment  of  them.  The  opportunity 
which  you  have  of  contemplating  different  grades 
of  talent,  among  your  companions  in  study — some 
of  them  above,  and  others  below  your  own,  ought  to 
teach  you  equally  to  avoid  arrogance  and  despon- 
dency; and  to  operate  as  a  constant  stimulus  to  dili- 
gence. From  all  the  varieties  of  taste,  temper,  and 
fiabits,  displayed  among  your  associates,  you  ought 
to  be  constantly  endeavouring  to  draw  lessons  of 
practical  wisdom.  In  such  an  interesting  society, 
your  knowledge  of  the  world,  and  of  the  fiuman 
heart,  ought  to  be  every  hour  increasing.  From 
daily  intercourse  with  companions  from  almost  every 
part  of  the  United  States,  you  ought  to  aim  at  de- 
riving, while  stationary,  some  of  the  advantages  of 

Q 


182  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

extensive  travelling.  By  witnessing  different  grades 
and  species  of  eloquence  in  others,  you  ought  to  be 
daily  gaining  materials  for  exciting,  correcting  and 
improving  your  own.  By  the  gentle  and  Christian 
attrition  of  mind  against  mind,  both  light  and  heat, 
of  the  most  salutary  kind,  ought  to  be  continually 
stricken  out.  In  social  study,  you  enjoy  the  means 
of  awakening  and  stimulating  your  powers  to  their 
best  efforts,  and  of  correcting  and  extending  all  your 
knowledge.  Here  the  choicest  bosom  friendships 
ought  to  be  formed,  to  cheer,  aid  and  bless  the  whole 
of  your  subsequent  life.  Here,  every  one,  by  ob- 
serving the  foibles  and  mistakes  of  others,  ought  to 
learn  to  correct  his  own.  And  here  the  flame  of 
piety,  kindling  from  heart  to  heart,  ought  to  burn 
with  a  brighter  and  purer  flame  from  day  to  da)'. 

Now,  resolve,  in  the  Lord's  name  and  strength, 
that  you  will  endeavour  to  keep  all  these  advantages 
habitually  in  your  own  view,  and  to  pursue  them 
with  undeviating  aim,  and  unwearied  diligence;  and 
that  you  will  constantly  endeavour  also,  to  hold  them 
up  to  the  view  of  others,  by  all  proper  methods,  but 
especially  by  the  lustre  of  your  example.  Resolve, 
if  you  stand  alone  in  the  resolution,  among  all  your 
brethren,  that  you  will  never  cease  your  efforts,  in 
your  proper  sphere,  to  promote,  to  the  utmost,  faith- 
ful study;  profound  and  impartial  discussion;  Chris- 
tian i-egularity  and  order;  the  mutual  correction  of 
errors;  deep,  lively  piety;  gentle,  benign,  fraternal 
deportment;  and  fervent  brotherly  love  among  all 
with  whom  you  are  connected; — that  you  will  labour 
without  ceasing,  and  sacritice  every  subordinate 
interest  for  the  sake  of  attaining  these  great  objects. 


HABITS  IN  THE  SEMIXAUV.  183 

A  single  student,  in  good  earnest  in  adopting  such  a 
resolution;  habitually  animated  with  a  corresponding 
spirit;  and  making  all  who  approach  him  to  feel., 
continually,  the  purity  of  his  motives,  and  the  eleva- 
tion ot"  his  aims,  might  difTuse  an  influence  over  a 
whole  institution,  of  which  no  one  could  estimate  the 
value.  Try  to  be  such  an  individual;  and  your 
companions  in  study  will  have  reason  to  remember 
you  w^ith  gratitude  as  long  as  they  live,  and  the 
future  generations  of  the  seminary  will  rise  up  and 
call  you  blessed. 

2.  Let   me   advise   you    to    pay    constant    and 

STRICT  ATTENTION  TO  THE  LAWS  OF  THE  SEMINARY. 

You  are  bound,  as  an  honest  man,  to  do  this:  for  when 
you  entered  it,  you  formally  and  "solemnly  promised, 
in  a  reliance  on  divine  grace,  that  you  would  faith- 
fully and  diligently  attend  on  all  the  instructions 
of  the  seminary;  that  you  would  conscientiously 
and  vigilantly  observe  all  the  rules  and  regulations 
specified  in  the  plan  for  its  instruction  and  govern- 
ment, so  far  as  the  same  relate  to  the  students;  and 
that  you  would  obey  all  the  lawful  requisitions,  and 
readily  yield  to  all  the  wholesome  admonitions  of 
the  professors  and  directors  of  the  seminary,  while 
you  should  continue  a  member  of  it." 

Now,  it  cannot  be  doubted,  that  this  promise,  or 
rather  oath  (for  it  partakes  more  of  the  latter  charac- 
ter than  of  the  former),  lays  you  under  solemn  obli- 
gations, not  only  to  make  yourself  acquainted,  in 
minute  detail,  with  all  the  laws  and  regulations  of 
the  seminary,  but  also  to  conform  to  them  with  a 
scrupulous  exactness.  These  laws,  as  you  know,  are 
all  publicly  read  before  the  assembled  students,  twice 


184  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

in  the  year.  But  the  whole  number  of  students  are 
never  actually  present  on  these  occasions;  and  some  of 
those  who  are  absent,  perhaps,  may  forget  or  neglect 
to  attend  to  the  subject  afterwards.  I  would  advise 
you  to  keep  a  copy  of  all  the  laws  and  rules  in  ques- 
tion, in  your  room;  to  review  them  more  than  once 
in  the  course  of  each  session;  and  to  examine,  in  the 
fear  of  God,  how  far  your  habits  have  been  in  all 
respects,  in  conformity  with  them.  For,  be  assured, 
your  punctual  obedience  to  every  one  of  them,  in 
every  tittle,  is  not  only  expected  and  required,  but  is 
important  to  the  best  interests  of  the  institution. 
You  cannot  infringe  the  least  of  them,  without  more 
or  less  injury  to  yourself,  or  the  seminary,  or  both. 
Never  aslc,  then,  "  Where  will  be  the  harm  of  a 
single  infraction,  on  my  part,  of  this  or  that  law  ?" — 
But  rather  ask,  when  you  are  tempted  to  such  in- 
fraction— "  What  would  be  the  consequence  if  not 
only  I,  but  all  my  fellow  students  were  to  take  the 
same  course  ?"  This  is  the  test  to  which  every 
student  of  delicate  moral  feeling  Avill  bring  every 
such  question. 

3.  Cultivate  the  habit  of  passing  from  one  part 
TO  another  of  the  public  edifice  with  gentle- 
ness, and  without  noise.  All  the  movements  of  a 
theological  student  should  be  grave,  sedate,  and 
manly.  No  running,  noisy  walking,  whistling,  sing- 
ing, loud  talking,  or  boisterous  laughter,  should  ever 
be  heard  in  passing  to  and  from  the  different  rooms. 
That  which  would  excite  no  attention,  and  produce 
no  inconvenience,  when  indulged  by  three  or  four 
persons  under  one  roof;  becomes  an  intolerable  nui- 
sance, when  practised  without  restraint,  in  the  same 


HABITS  IX  THE  SEMINARY.  185 

edifice,  by  three  or  four  score.  There  is  a  strong 
propensity  in  )'Oung  men  of  buoyant  spirits,  how- 
ever excellent  their  intentions,  to  forget  themselves 
in  reference  to  this  point,  and  to  infringe  that  dignity 
which  they,  no  doubt,  mean  to  observe.  Hence  the 
importance  of  beginning  early  in  life,  to  check  this 
propensity,  and  to  form  that  habit  of  gravity  and 
gentleness  in  all  your  mo^'^ments,  which  will  diffuse 
a  charm  over  your  manners  in  every  situation. 

4.  Cherish  a  spirit  of  perfect  order  in  all 
YOUR  engagements,  as  a  member  of  the  seminary. 
As  you  are  bound  to  meet  several  different  professors 
in  the  coarse  of  each  week,  and  have  different  studies 
assigned  for  every  day,  some  degree  of  system  in 
study  becomes  absolutely  necessary.  You  cannot 
possibly  proceed  without  it.  But  it  is  manifest  that 
some  are  much  more  successful  than  others  in  re- 
ducing their  minds  to  that  rigidly  systematic  and 
orderly  character,  at  which  he  who  is  preparing  for 
public  life  ought  always  to  aim.  My  object  is  to 
prevail  on  you  to  pay  particular  attention  to  this 
point;  and  to  endeavour  here  to  form  habits  in  this 
respect,  which  may  exert  a  ha})py  influence  on  your 
whole  life.  You  cannot  too  early  begin  to  be  a  man 
of  perfect  system.  Let  the  strictest  order  pervade 
all  your  engagements  and  habits.  Have  a  time  and 
place,  as  far  as  possible,  for  every  thing;  and  let  every 
thing  be  done  in  its  proper  time  and  place.  Let 
regular  hours  be  assigned  for  devotion,  for  study,  for 
exercise,  for  visiting,  for  sleep,  and  for  miscellaneous 
avocations;  and  let  no  ordinary  occurrence  break  in 
on  those  hours.  Habits  of  this  kind  will  be  of 
greater  advantage   than    you   can   easily  anticipate. 


186  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

You  will  be  able  to  accomplish  far  more  by  this 
method,  than  you  possibly  could  otherwise.  You 
will  not  be  subjected  to  that  incessant  hurry  and 
distraction  which  are  generally  observable  in  those 
who  act  without  system.  You  will  be  delivered  in  a 
great  measure  from  those  moments  of  listlessness, 
which  are  apt  to  arise  when  we  have  not  made  up 
our  minds  what  to  begin  next.  In  fact,  if  the  plan 
of  a  theological  seminary  should  produce  no  other 
advantage  to  a  diligent  and  wise  student,  it  will  im- 
doubtedly  tend  to  beget  the  habit  of  which  I  speak. 
And  I  will  add,  that  he  who  cannot  bring  his  mind 
to  submit  to  such  a  plan;  who  frequently  yields  to 
the  infraction  of  it;  or  who  flies  from  it  for  relief; — 
has  great  reason  to  fear,  either,  that  he  labours  under 
a  constitutional  infirmity  of  mind,  which  demands 
his  immediate  and  decisive  attention;  or  that  he  is 
giving  way  to  the  eccentricities  of  waywardness  or 
caprice,  under  the  delusive  idea  that  they  are  the 
workings  of  genius.  He  who  disdains  to  submit  to 
perfect  system  in  his  pursuits,  may  succeed  very 
tolerably  as  an  occasional  writer  of  poetical  trifles, 
for  a  monthly  journal;  but  as  a  profound,  diligent  and 
faithful  minister  of  the  gospel,  he  can  never  succeed, 
5.  Be  particularly  punctual  in  attending  on  all 

THE      devotional     EXERCISES     OP     THE      SEMINARY. 

On  this  point  it  would  seem  scarcely  possible,  that, 
among  a  band  of  candidates  for  the  ministry,  there 
should  be  room  for  counsel;  and  especially  that  the 
regular  morning  and  evening  prayers  in  the  public 
edifice,  should  ever  fail  to  be  attended  by  any  indi- 
vidual of  the  theological  brotherhood  who  had  health 
and   strength  enough  to  allovv  him   to   be   present. 


HABITS  IN  THE   SEMINARY.  187 

Such  impressions,  however,  will  not  always  he  found 
to  he  correct.  Some  occasionally  ahscnt  themselves 
from  morning  prayers,  because  feelings  of  languor 
and  debility,  arising  from  late  study,  or  some  other 
cause,  prevent  their  rising  sufficiently  early.  Others 
are  sometimes  absent  from  eveyiing  prayers,  because, 
owing  to  the  want  of  strict  order  in  their  affairs,  they 
are,  perhaps,  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  attending  to 
some  buisness,  elsewhere,  in  haste,  at  that  hour,  which 
might  and  ought  to  have  been  despatched  before. 
While  a  third  class,  (I  hope  and  believe  it  has  always 
been  a  very  small  one,)  it  is  to  be  feared,  allow  ob- 
stacles by  no  means  insurmountable,  to  make  them 
frequent  delinquents,  because  their  enjoyment  of 
such  exercises  is  less  than  it  ought  to  be,  and,  perhaps, 
less  than  it  once  was. 

Let  me  earnestly  enjoin  upon  you  to  guard  against 
every  approach  to  negligence  in  this  duty.  The 
more  you  pray  with  your  fellow  students,  the  more 
you  will  love  them,  and  the  more  delightful  will  it 
be  to  work  with  them,  in  digging  in  the  mines  of 
knowledge.  If  you  ever,  when  in  tolerable  health, 
feel  it  a  burden  to  meet  your  brethren,  when  they 
assemble  at  the  throne  of  grace,  it  is  an  awful  symp- 
tom of  coldness  and  backsliding.  Nay,  if  you  are 
not  willing  to  make  some  sacrifices  for  the  sake  of 
attending,  and  to  take  pains  beforehand  to  adjust 
your  affairs  for  that  purpose,  you  have  great  reason  to 
fear  that  your  spiritual  health  is  not  prospering.  I 
am  always  distressed  when  I  see  a  candidate  for  the 
ministry  abundant  in  his  attendance  on  public 
prayer  meetings;  but  frequently  absent  from  those  of 
a  private,  or  domestic  nature,  which  he  is  under, 


188  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

perhaps,  stronger  obligations  to  attend;  but  which, 
at  the  same  time,  present  little  attraction,  excepting 
to  the  mind  which  delights  in  communion  with  God. 
What  inference  are  we  almost  compelled  to  draw 
from  such  a  fact  ?  Charity  herself  cannot  fail  to 
recognise  it. 

6.   Guard  against  frequent  or  long  continued 

ABSENCES     FROM     ANY    OF     THE     EXERCISES    OP    THE 

INSTITUTION.  There  is  a  very  remarkable  difference 
between  students  as  to  this  point.  Those  who  love 
study,  and  have  no  desire  to  cheat  themselves  into 
indolence,  are  always  found  at  their  posts;  and  con- 
trive, whenever  it  is  practicable,  to  postpone  until 
some  season  of  recess,  every  business  at  a  distance 
from  the  seminary  which  demands  their  attention. 
They  steadfastly  resist  all  proposals  to  take  needless 
excursions,  and  appear  to  regret  every  occurrence 
which  detaches  them  a  moment,  either  from  the 
study  or  the  lecture-room.  The  studies  of  these  are 
solid  and  unbroken;  and  they  generally  disclose  the 
happy  result  when  the  day  of  examination  arrives. 
Their  knowledge  is  connected,  systematic,  and  ac- 
curate, and  their  minds  daily  making  progress  in 
maturity.  But  there  is  another  class  of  students,  a 
few  of  whom  have  been  found  in  this,  and,  I  suppose, 
in  every  similar  institution,  who  seem  to  be  ever 
ready  to  yield  to  the  slightest  solicitation  to  quit  their 
books,  and  go  in  pursuit  of  some  object,  either  trivial 
in  itself,  or  which  might  just  as  well  be  accomplished 
at  another  time.  If  their  minds  be  active,  it  is  only 
to  teem  with  plans  which  draw  them  in  a  different 
direction  from  that  in  which  their  appropriate  em- 
ployment lies.     It  is  not  their  design  to  neglect  or 


HABITS  IN  THE  SEMINARY.  189 

sliglit  their  studies.  On  the  contrary,  they  often 
conscientiously  intend  and  promise  to  make  up  for 
every  absence  by  extra  diligence  in  time  to  come. 
But  the  season  for  such  diligence  never  arrives.  The 
next  week  or  month  brings  with  it  a  similar  tempta- 
tion, and  they  fall  before  it  in  a  similar  manner. 
Thus  they  spend  the  larger  part  of  their  three  years 
in  the  seminary,  in  a  series  of  impotent  struggles 
with  irresolution  and  interruption;  and  when  the 
period  comes  to  an  end,  whether  they  perceive  it  or 
not,  others  perceive,  that  all  their  gains  are  small,  ill 
assorted,  and  of  little  practical  value.  They  are 
nearly  as  far  from  being  prepared  to  enter  on  their 
public  work  as  when  they  commenced  the  course. 

My  dear  young  friend,  fly  from  this  miserable 
habit  as  you  would  from  a  pestilence.  It  is  not  only 
destructive  of  all  solid  intellectual  improvement;  but 
it  indicates  a  mental  character  of  the  most  unpro- 
mising kind.  Cultivate  habits  of  steady,  unremit- 
ting diligence.  If  your  health  be  good,  let  nothing 
take  you  away  an  hour,  much  less  a  day,  from  your 
appropriate  work,  unless  it  be  a  very  distinct  call  of 
Providence.  And  you  arc  not  to  consider  as  such  a 
call,  every  simple  opportunity  of  attempting  to  do 
good.  For  if  you  did,  as  such  opportunities  occur 
every  hour,  you  would  never  study  at  all.  Remem- 
ber, that  while  you  have  a  place  in  the  seminary,  its 
studies  ought  to  form  your  constant  and  ?nain  busi- 
ness; and  that  every  day  that  you  unnecessarily 
withdraw  from  them,  you  do  injustice  to  yourself,  to 
the  institution,  and  to  the  church  of  God. 
t#  7.  Take  pains  to  cultivate  special  friendships 
with  such  of  your  fellow  students  as  may  appear 


190  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

most  likely  to  be  peculiarly  useful  and  pleasant  to 
you.  You  will,  of  course,  love  and  honour  all  your 
fellow  students;  but  the  idea  of  being  equally  attached 
to  every  individual,  of  a  hundred  companions,  and 
equally  intimate  with  every  individual,  would  be  at 
once  unreasonable,  and  destructive  of  all  valuable 
intimacy  with  any  one.  Special  friendships  are  war- 
ranted by  the  example  of  the  Saviour,  and  demanded 
by  some  of  the  best  feelings  of  human  nature.  Nay, 
it  seems  to  me  not  impossible  that  they  may  exist  in 
heaven.  While,  therefore,  you  treat  every  brother 
with  whom  you  are  associated  in  study  with  uniform 
respect,  and  with  every  manifestation  of  brotherly 
kindness;  you  ought  to  be  allowed  the  privilege,  and 
to  avail  yourself  of  the  privilege,  of  having,  among 
them,  peculiarly  beloved  and  intimate  companions. 
This  choice  will,  of  course,  be  made  with  a  special 
view  to  the  promotion  of  your  own  personal  enjoy- 
ment and  edification.  Make  the  choice  with  care, 
with  deliberation,  and  with  prayer.  Let  there  be  a 
little  circle  of  three,  four  or  five  of  these  intimate 
friends.  Frequently  meet  them,  at  convenient  sea- 
sons, for  conversation,  on  your  studies,  and  especially 
on  experimental  religion;  and  let  every  interview  be 
hallowed  by  prayer.  Be  inviolably  faithful  to  these 
friends.  Let  one  of  the  objects  of  your  intimacy  be 
to  correct  each  other's  faults.  For  this  purpose,  be 
aftectionately  unreserved  with  each  other.  If  these 
peculiar  connexions  are  properly  managed,  they  will 
be  the  happy  means  of  nurturing  a  spirit  of  piety;  of 
making  your  studies  more  useful;  and  of  preparing 
for  after  life  some  of  the  richest  pleasures  of  Chris- 
tian and  ministerial  friendship. 


HABITS  IN  THE  SEMINARY.  191 

8.  Make  a  point  of  cultivating  toward  all 

YOUR  COMPANIONS  IN  STUDY,  A  SPIRIT,  AND  A 
STYLE     OP     MANNERS     CALCULATED     TO     CONCILIATE 

THEIR  REGARD.  Any  man  who  becomes  one  of  a 
circle  of  four  or  five  score  of  theological  students, 
will,  of  course,  find  some  of  them  less  suited  to  his 
taste  than  others.  The  VKinners  of  one  may  not  en- 
tirely please  him.  The  natural  temper  of  another 
may  be  occasionally  revolting.  The  captious,  cavil- 
ling spirit  of  a  third,  may  render  him  somewhat 
undesirable  as  a  companion.  And  it  may  be  wished 
that  the  pieti/  of  a  fourth  were  more  ardent  and  un- 
doubted. But,  though  you  may  not  feel  prepared  to 
be  equally  intimate  with  all  as  chosen  companions, 
you  may  treat,  and  ought  to  treat  all,  with  respect 
and  kindness,  as  brethren  in  Christ,  into  whose  so- 
ciety, in  the  providence  of  God  you  have  been  cast, 
and  with  whom  it  is  your  duty  to  live  as  amicably 
and  pleasantly  as  possible.  You  are,  obviously,  not 
bound  to  entertain  a  high  opinion  of  all.  You 
are  not  even  bound  to  be  confident  that  all  are,  of 
course,  truly  pious.  But  you  are  bound,  as  long  as 
you  are  united  with  them  in  study,  and  they  continue 
in  good  and  regular  standing,  as  members  of  the 
seminary, — to  treat  them  all  with  uniform  civility 
and  kindness.  Never  allow  the  least  approach  to  a 
contemptuous  expression  or  look  to  escape  you. 
Never  permit  a  sneer,  sarcasm,  ridicule,  or  even 
chilling  coldness,  to  mark  your  treatment  of  any. 
Cultivate  a  spirit  of  true  benevolence  toward  every 
one.  And  if  there  be  any  individuals  by  whom  you 
feel  yourself  more  peculiarly  repelled,  set  a  double 
guard  over  your  spirit  and  deportment  toward  them. 


192  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

Frequently  pray  for  them.  And  endeavour,  in  the 
spirit  of  the  gospel,  to  contrive  something  for  their 
benefit.  In  short,  whatever  others  may  do,  let  it 
be  your  constant  aim  to  render  the  society  of  the 
seminary  as  harmonious,  friendly,  and  delightful  as 
possible. 

9.  Be  not  too  much  in  society  with  tour  fel- 
low STUDENTS.  There  is  such  a  thing  as  persons 
making  themselves  cheap  even  to  their  friends.  This 
is  always  done,  when  they  obtrude  themselves  into 
their  society  with  undue  frequency,  unseasonably, 
and  too  long  at  a  time.  I  have  known  many  inti- 
macies, once  uncommonly  close,  first  cooled,  and, 
after  a  while,  broken  off,  from  causes  of  this  kind. 
Rely  on  it,  that  social  connexion  which  is  not  mu- 
tually pleasant,  and  mutually  convenient,  cannot  last 
long.  Carefully  guard,  then,  against  being  too  much 
in  the  society  of  even  your  best  friends.  Both  you 
and  they  need  much  retirement,  and  ought  to  be  left, 
at  proper  seasons,  to  enjoy  it.  Let  your  calls  be 
seasonable,  and  such  as  you  have  good  reason  to  think 
will  not  interfere  with  their  arrangements.  Indulge 
no  undue  liberties  in  your  intercourse  with  them. 
Those  friendships  are  most  likely  to  be  pleasant  and 
most  lasting  in  which  Christian  dignity  and  respect- 
fulness mark  the  intercourse  on  both  sides. 

10.  Be  much  in  the  habit  of  conversing  with 

YOUR  FELLOW  STUDENTS  RESPECTING  YOUR  STUDIES. 

Those  who  take  exercise  in  company  with  each  other, 
or  who  are  frequently  brought  together  by  any  cause, 
are  sometimes  at  a  loss  for  conversation.  But  why 
should  they  ever  be,  when,  not  to  mention  other 
topics,  of  still  more  importance,  their  studies  per- 


HABITS  IN  THE  SEMINARY.  193 

petually  furnish  matter  for  unlimited  conversation  ? 
Half  an  hour's  discussion,  with  an  intelligent  com- 
panion, may  sometimes  do  more  to  enlarge  and  cor- 
rect your  views  of  a  particular  subject,  than  many 
hours,  or  even  days  of  solitary  study.  There  are 
many  minds  which  are  never  excited  to  their  most 
vigorous  and  productive  action,  but  by  conversation. 
Perhaps  yours  is  of  this  cast.  However  this  may  be, 
you  may  meet  with  some  which  are;  and  it  w^ill  be 
to  your  advantage  to  avail  yourself  of  the  fact  where- 
ever  it  is  found  to  exist.  It  will  readily  occur,  that 
you  ought  to  seek  the  conversation  of  which  I  speak, 
as  far  as  convenient,  with  those  who  are  best  informed, 
and  most  expert  on  the  subjects  w^hich  you  wish  to 
discuss.  Indeed,  that  man  alone  is  wise,  who,  in  all 
cases  whatsoever,  wiien  he  desires  instruction,  resorts 
to  the  society  of  those  who  are  most  competent  to 
confer  the  benefit. 

11.  Study  to  exercise  peculiar  delicacy  and  respect 
in  conversation  with  those  of  your  fellow  stu- 
dents   WITH    whom    you    may    DIPPER    IN    OPINION. 

It  often  happens  in  a  seminary  so  largely  attended, 
and  so  liberal  in  its  constitution  as  ours,  that  students 
of  several  different  religious  denominations  are  asso- 
ciated together  in  its  classes.  These,  of  course,  differ 
from  the  students  of  our  own  church  on  a  variety  of 
points;  not  to  say  that  even  the  latter  will  often  have 
minor  points  of  difference  among  themselves.  Now 
young  men,  whose  knowledge  of  the  world  is  small; 
who  have  not  yet  known  much  by  experience  of  the 
evils  of  controversy;  and  who,  in  the  ardour  of  their 
youthful  feelings,  imagine  they  can  soon  convince  or 
silence  an  opponent; — are  extremely  apt  to  bring  up 

R 


194  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

these  points  of  difference  unseasonably,  to  dwell  upon 
them  unduly,  and,  when  they  suppose  that  any  ad- 
vantage is  gained,  to  indulge  in  language  bordering 
on  rude  exultation.  This  is  a  practice  not  only  in- 
consistent with  good  breeding,  and  Christian  delicacy, 
but  it  also  ministers  to  evil  in  a  variety  of  ways.  It 
often  leads  to  strife,  instead  of  profitable  discussion. 
Such  continual  attrition  also  chafes  and  alienates  the 
minds  of  some  whom  it  were  desirable  to  win,  and 
not  unfrequently  confirms  them  in  error,  or  drives 
them  still  further  from  the  truth.  And,  moreover, 
all  experience  proves,  that  when  such  a  spirit  finds 
its  way  into  a  circle  of  theological  students,  both  the 
ardour  and  the  comfort  of  vital  piety  seldom  fail  to 
decline.  In  conversing,  therefore,  with  a  fellow  stu- 
dent, between  whom  and  yourself  there  are  points  of 
difference  in  theological  opinion,  do  not  be  for  ever 
dragging  them  forward,  and  dwelling  upon  them. 
Never  obtrude  them  upon  him.  When  they  are 
brought  up,  always  treat  them  gravely  and  respect- 
fully. Never  ridicule  either  them  or  their  advocate. 
Never  impute  to  him  either  a  weak  head  or  a  corrupt 
heart.  Never  indulge  in  language  approaching  to 
acerbity.  And  whenever  you  find  that  the  discus- 
sion affects  him  unpleasantly,  let  it  be  instantly  drop- 
ped, and  not  soon  revived. 

12.  Be  especially  on  your  guard  against  all 

THOSE  UNHALLOWED  TEMPERS  AND  HABITS  WHICH  IN- 
TERFERE WITH  FRATERNAL  INTERCOURSE,  and  which 

are  hostile  to  brotherly  love.  Many  tempers  and 
feelings  are  apt  to  creep  in  among  companions  in 
study,  and  even  among  theological  students,  which 
cannot  fail  to  exert  an  influence  deeply  hostile  to 


HABITS  IN  THE  SEMINARY.  195 

that  fraternal  affection  which  ought  ever  to  reign 
among  them.  In  this  revolting  list,  pride,  vanity, 
selfishness,  egotism,  envy,  unhallowed  emulation, 
jealousy,  and  suspicion,  hold  a  prominent  place. 
Where  any  one  or  more  of  these  reign,  like  the 
*'dead  flies  in  the  apothecary's  ointment,"  they  are 
apt  to  cause:  the  whole  mass  to  send  forth  an  evil 
*'  savour."  Set  a  solemn  guard  over  your  spirit, 
with  respect  to  these  tempers.  If  you  yield  to  the 
power  of  pride,  vanity,  or  jealousy,  in  your  inter- 
course with  your  companions,  you  will,  assuredly, 
repel  and  alienate  them.  If  you  allow  yourself  to 
envy  the  superior  talents  or  popularity  of  any  bro- 
ther, and  to  sicken  at  his  success;  there  is,  of  course, 
an  end  of  all  fraternal  feeling  toward  him.  If  you 
permit  carnal  emulation  to  reign  in  your  breast,  or 
dark  suspicion  to  gain  the  ascendency  in  your  mind, 
on  the  ground  of  some  equivocal  word  or  action,  you 
may  bid  adieu  to  all  comfortable  intercourse  with  the 
objects  of  such  feelings.  If  any  of  your  fellow 
students  be  manifestly  superior  to  yourself  in  any 
attainment  or  excellence,  depend  on  it,  the  indulgence 
of  fretfulness  and  envy  at  the  view  of  it,  and  giving 
vent  to  corresponding  expressions,  will  only  serve  to 
diminish  your  own  comfort,  and  to  render  your  infe- 
riority more  glaring.  0  how  destructive  of  peace  as 
well  as  wicked,  are  all  these  tempers!  How  deeply 
are  they  capable  of  poisoning  the  social  intercourse 
even  of  the  pious  !  How  uncomfortable  to  those 
who  indulge  them!  And  how  humiliating  their 
aspect,  in  the  view  of  the  wise  and  good,  when  they 
become  visible  !  My  dear  young  friend  abhor 
such   tempers.     Strive  to  subdue  and  banish  them. 


196  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

Whether  you  regard  your  own  enjoyment,  or  that  of 
others,  put  them  far  away.  Rejoice  in  the  gifts  and 
accomplishments  of  your  brethren.  Be  always 
ready  to  put  the  most  favourable  construction  on 
their  words  and  actions.  If  you  are  tempted  at  any 
time  to  suppose,  that  they  do  not  honour  you  as 
much  as  they  ought,  recollect  that  they  are  much 
more  likely  \hzx\  yourself  iQ  have  an  impartial  opin- 
ion on  this  point;  and,  especially,  that  the  most 
fruitless  of  all  methods  of  gaining  honour,  among  the 
wise  and  the  good,  is  to  make  an  angry,  or  even  a 
querulous  demand  of  it.  Be  kind,  respectful,  and 
truly  benevolent  to  every  brother.  Be  ever  disposed 
to  give  honour  where  it  is  due,  without  stint  or 
grudging.  Study  to  "  please  every  one  for  his  good 
to  edification;"  and  you  may  safely  leave  your  own 
standing  among  your  companions  to  "him  who 
judgeth  righteously." 

13.  Be  careful  to  improve  the  excellent  opportu- 
nity which  you  enjoy  in  the  seminary,  for  ascer- 
taining   AND  CORRECTING    YOUR    OWN    FOIBLES,    AS 

WELL  AS  THOSE  OF  OTHERS.  SoHtude  is  a  situatiou 
by  no  means  favourable  for  detecting  our  foibles.  In 
fact,  many  of  them  are  not  developed,  until  we  go 
into  society,  and  put  our  social  feelings  and  propen- 
sities to  the  test.  Many  a  serious  young  man,  who, 
in  early  youth,  and  in  retirement,  appeared  to  be  a 
pattern  of  all  that  was  gentle,  frank,  generous  and 
amiable,  has  been,  unexpectedly,  found,  when  brought 
mor£  extensively  into  society,  to  disclose  very  dif- 
ferent characteristics.  If,  on  the  one  hand,  he  suc- 
ceeded in  gaining  distinction  among  his  companions, 
he  became,  perhaps,  proud,  supercilious,  dictato.ri.alj 


HABITS  IN  THE  SEMINARY.  197 

and,  it  may  bo,  insufferably  arrogant.  If,  on  the 
other  liand,  he  fountl  his  standing  with  his  fellows 
less  elevated  than  he  was  led  to  anticipate,  he  be- 
came sour,  envious,  jealous,  full  of  suspicion,  ready 
to  misconstrue  every  word  and  action,  and  to  consider 
the  most  innocent  remark  as  having  a  hostile  aim. 
Or,  pcrl'.aps,  his  infirmity  of  character  took  the  course 
of  succumbing  to  his  new  circumstances,  and  appear- 
ing the  flattering,  creeping  sycophant.  Now,  as 
society  has  a  wonderful  power  in  exciting  these  pec- 
cant humours  into  action,  and  bringing  them  into 
view;  so  the  best  society, — such  as  that  in  a  theolo- 
gical seminary  ought  to  be, — seems  to  present  one 
of  the  best  means  of  correcting  them.  Surely  a  cir- 
cle in  which  cultivated  knowledge,  pious  principles, 
and  mutual  and  fraternal  inspection  reign,  is  one  of 
the  most  favourable  on  earth  for  mollifying  those 
asperities,  rubbing,  or  pruning  off  those  excrescences, 
and  applying  a  remedy  for  all  the  acidities  and  obli- 
quities, which  are  so  unfriendly  to  social  and  Chris- 
tian enjoyment.  Whatever  others  may  do,  then,  let 
me  earnestly  advise  you  to  avail  yourself  of  this  ad- 
vantage. You  will  never  enjoy  such  another.  Care- 
fully watch  the  workings  of  your  own  mind,  both 
toward  those  above  you,  and  those  below  you,  on  the 
scale  of  talents  and  influence.  And  so  far  as  you 
discover  either  pride  or  sycophancy; — arrogance  or 
despondency; — envy,  or  a  disposition  meanly  to  flat- 
ter:— never  rest  till  you  root  them  out,  and  banish 
them  from  your  bosom.  Entreat  your  intimate 
friends  to  tell  you  your  faults  with  perfect  candour, 
and  reciprocate  the  favour  with  them.  Watch  over 
one  another  with  affectionate   fidelity.     And   when 

R' 


198  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

any  of  your  defects,  infirmities,  or  mistakes,  are  dis- 
closed to  your  view  by  a  brothei',  receive  the  commu- 
nication with  meek  and  humble  thankfulness.  As 
far  as  my  experience  extends,  I  would  say,  few  things 
afford  a  worse  prognostic  of  the  spirit,  and  destiny 
of  a  young  man,  than  his  resenting  such  a  painful  and 
self-denying  effort  to  promote  his  benefit.  In  short, 
study  daily  to  make  your  intercourse  with  your 
brethren  a  means  of  correcting,  as  far  as  possible, 
every  moral  and  intellectual  fault,  and  of  promoting 
every  amiable  grace  and  virtue,  both  in  yourself  and 
in  your  associates. 

14.  Let  me  advise  you  to  be  punctual  and  de- 
voted   IN  YOUR  attendance  ON  THE    THEOLOGICAL 

SOCIETY,  which  is  connected  with  the  seminary. 
It  has  not  a  little  surprised  me  that  the  meetings  of 
this  association  should  be  often  so  thinly  attended, 
and  so  frequently  marked  with  languor  and  want  of 
interest.  Surely  a  band  of  theological  students 
might  be  expected  highly  to  prize  a  society  formed 
for  the  perfectly  free  and  unshackled  discussion  of 
truth,  and  which  might  be  made  every  thing  that  the 
learning,  zeal,  enterprise,  eloquence,  and  piety  of  its 
members  chose  to  make  it.  That  there  is  enough  of 
all  these  among  them  to  render  it  highly  interesting 
and  profitable,  no  one  who  is  acquainted  with  their 
character  can  doubt.  Why,  then,  one  is  tempted  to 
ask,  is  there  not  more — much  more  interest  actually 
infused,  from  week  to  week,  into  its  discussions  ?  I 
have  no  doubt  the  true  answer  is — Partly  from  indo- 
lence, or  the  want  of  that  enterprise  and  decision  of 
character,  which  are  so  indispensable  to  the  accom- 
plishment of  much  in   any  pursuit:  and  partly  be- 


HABITS  IN  THE  SEMINARY.  199 

cause  the  mass  of  the  students  do  not  take  any  thing 
like  adequate  views  of  what  tlie  society  in  question 
might  he  made,  and  of  the  immense  contributions  to 
their  improvement  which  might  he  drawn  from  it. 
It  surely  might  and  ought  to  be  made  a  source  of  the 
richest  advantage  to  all  its  members.  Let  me  urge 
you  to  contribute  as  much  as  in  you  lies  to  the 
attainment  of  this  advantage.  Be  inflexibly  punctual 
in  your  attendance  upon  it.  When  you  arc  appointed 
to  introduce  the  debate,  prepare  for  the  duty,  and 
endeavour  to  perform  it  in  an  able,  and  interesting 
manner.  Surely  when  such  a  service  occurs  only 
once  or  twice  a  year,  you  can  afford  to  take  some 
pains  to  perform  it  well;  especially  when  you  con- 
sider that  every  effort  of  this  kind  which  you  make, 
entirely  coincides  with  your  main  pursuit.  Let  it 
be  seen  that  you  always  take  a  deep  interest  in  the 
discussions,  by  participating  in  them  on  proper  oc- 
casions; by  taking  pains  to  bring  forward  suitable 
questions  for  consideration;  and  by  labouring  to  give 
such  a  direction  to  every  thing,  as  will  render  it  at 
once  attractive  and  profitable  to  your  brethren.  A 
small  portion  of  such  a  spirit  conscientiously  kept  up, 
would  be  far  more  efficacious  than  any  system  of 
fines  and  penalties,  which  can  answer  little  other 
purpose  than  to  tease  and  alienate. 

15.    Prize    every   opportunity    of    speaking    in 

THE    presence    OF    YOUR    PROFESSORS    AND     FELLOW 

STUDENTS,  and  always,  with  avidity,  avail  yourself 
of  it.  That  some  of  your  companions  in  study  should 
consider  the  rule  of  the  seminary  which  obliges 
them  to  speak  in  public,  at  stated  times,  as  imposing 
a  burden,  rather  than  offering  a  privilege,  is  a  fact 


200  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

not  difficult  to  be  accounted  for.  The  want  of  that 
energy,  and  diligence,  which  fit  young  men  for  high 
aims,  and  indefatigable  efforts;  and  the  want  of  that 
steady  fixedness  of  purpose,  which  resolutely  pre- 
pares in  time  for  every  prescribed  task,  are  certainly 
among  the  principal  reasons  why  so  many  fail  of 
performing  this  service  as  well  as  they  are  really 
able  to  do  it;  and,  of  course,  why  they  are  so  re- 
luctant to  perform  it  at  all.  There  are  those,  indeed, 
who  are  almost  ready  to  deride  the  performance  of 
this  duty,  as  if  they  supposed  it  impossible,  in  the 
nature  of  things,  to  speak  well  in  such  circumstances. 
This,  however,  I  take  it  is  an  utter  delusion.  It  is 
often  dictated  by  laziness,  rather  than  by  enlightened 
judgment.  That  much  practice,  even  though  it  be 
on  a  small  scale,  is  greatly  conducive  to  the  discipline 
of  the  voice,  and  to  the  attainment  of  self-possession 
in  public  speaking,  all  good  judges  are  agreed.  And, 
if  I  am  not  deceived,  all  that  is  necessary  to  the  pro- 
duction of  many  excellent  specimens  of  eloquence  in 
our  oratory,  is,  that  clue  preparatioji  be  made,  and 
due  ]jains  taken  at  the  time,  for  the  purpose.  Let 
me  entreat  you  no  longer  to  suffer  the  performance 
of  this  duty  to  languish  in  your  hands.  Never  allow 
your  name  to  appear  among  the  delinquents;  and 
address  yourself  to  the  work  with  the  decision  and 
diligence  of  one  who  highly  appreciates  its  value. 
Let  that  which  you  speak  be  always  perfectly  com- 
mitted to  memory.  The  importance  of  this  discipline 
of  the  memory  may  not  now  be  seen  in  all  its  extent; 
but  will  be  found  to  be  great  hereafter. 

16.  When  called  upon  to  criticise  the  speak- 
ing OF  YOUR  brethren,  always  do  it  with  respect- 


HABITS  IX  THE  SEMINARY.  201 

fulness,  delicacy,  and  fraternal  kindness.  In  regard 
to  this  matter,  there  are  two  extremes.  The  one  is, 
habitually  to  deal  in  the  language  of  excessive  and 
indiscriminate  praise,  in  other  words,  of  flattery. 
The  other  is,  as  generally,  to  employ  the  language  of 
satire,  sarcasm,  or  harsh,  unmerited  censure;  to  en- 
deavour to  place  every  thing  commented  on,  in  a 
ludicrous  light;  and  not  unfrequcntly  to  turn  the 
person,  as  well  as  the  discourse  of  the  speaker  into 
ridicule.  I  hope  I  need  not  put  you  on  your  guard 
against  either  of  these  extremes.  They  are  both 
unworthy  of  a  gentleman;  especially  of  a  gentleman 
who  also  lays  claims  to  the  benevolence  and  magna- 
nimity of  a  Christian.  Let  all  your  criticisms  be 
marked  by  a  truly  respectful  and  fraternal  spirit. 
Be  candid  and  faithful;  but  at  the  same  time,  benign 
and  delicate.  In  short,  with  an  unfeigned  spirit  of 
brotherly  kindness,  let  your  aim  be,  not  to  gratify 
either  spleen,  or  mirth,  but  to  promote  the  real 
benefit  and  honour  of  him  who  is  the  object  of  your 
remarks. 

17.  Whether  your  place  of  boarding  be  in  the 
public  edifice,  or  in  a  private  family,  be  careful  op 
your  deportment  at  your  meals,  as  well  as  at 
other  times.  It  has  been  often  observed,  that  little 
things  frequently  afford  as  decisive  an  indication  of 
character  as  greater;  especially  when  it  is  considered 
that,  with  respect  to  the  latter,  we  are  apt  to  be  on 
our  guard;  while,  in  reference  to  the  former,  we 
daily  act  without  thouglit.  Allow  me  to  witness  a 
man's  deportment,  for  a  single  week,  at  his  meals, 
and  in  his  boarding-house,  and  I  will  tell  you,  with 
almost  unerring  certainty,  what  kind  of  a  man  he  is: 


202  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

— whether  he  know  any  thing  about  the  refinement 
and  dignity  of  a  Christian  gentleman;  or  whether  he 
labour  under  that  coarseness,  vulgarity,  or  levity  of 
character  wdiich  cannot  fail  of  making  an  unfavoura- 
ble impression  on  the  mind  of  every  spectator.  Let 
me  entreat  you  to  set  a  sacred  guard  over  your 
tongue,  and  over  your  whole  deportment,  in  the 
situation  to  which  I  allude.  Let  your  mode  of  con- 
versing, eating,  &c.  be  all  such  as  become  a  person  of 
a  serious,  and  cultivated  mind.  Let  no  one  ever  have 
occasion,  from  your  deportment,  to  remark,  that 
theological  students  are  not  more  grave,  or  more 
refined  than  others.  I  once  heard  of  a  gentleman, 
who  had  made  his  will,  and  left  in  it  a  handsome 
legacy  to  our  seminary.  Soon  afterwards,  meeting 
with  one  of  our  students,  at  a  public  house,  Avhere  he 
stopped  to  dine — a  student  who,  it  must  be  acknow- 
ledged, was  never  in  very  good  odour  among  his 
companions  in  study; — the  gentleman  was  so  dis- 
gusted with  his  levity,  coarseness,  and  epicurean 
feeding  at  the  dinner  table,  that  he  remarked — "  If 
this  be  a  specimen  of  the  students  of  that  seminary, 
I  cannot,  in  conscience,  encourage  it;"  and  on  his 
return  home,  altered  his  will.  It  is  thus  that  a  single 
student  (and,  truly,  the  one  in  question  stood  almost 
alone  in  his  "bad  eminence")  may  not  only  disgrace 
himself,  but,  what  is  much  more  important,  dis- 
honour religion,  and  the  institution  of  which  he  is  a 
pupil !  Happy,  indeed,  would  it  be  for  the  seminary, 
if  all  its  pupils  duly  recollected  how  much  its  honour 
is  involved  in  their  daily  deportment  ! 

IS.  Carefully  guard  against  injuring  the  books 

WHICH    you    TAKE    OUT    OF    THE    PUBLIC   LIBRARIES. 


HABITS  IN  THE  SEMINARY.  203 

It  has  been  with  me  a  constant  matter  of  wonder, 
that  some  students,  who,  aside  from  their  delinquency 
in  this  respect,  appear  to  be  young  men  of  strictly 
honourable  feeling,  and  pious  principle,  should  be 
capable  of  treating  books — books  not  their  own — 
books  the  property  of  the  church — books  purchased 
at  great  expense  for  their  grafiiitous  accommodation 
— in  so  careless  a  manner  as  I  have  sometimes  known 
them  to  do.  There  must,  surely,  be  in  some,  either 
a  want  of  thought,  or  a  want  of  conscience,  as  to 
this  point.  It  is  of  great  importance  that  a  student 
acquire  good  habits  in  reference  to  his  treatment  of 
books  as  early  as  possible.  Pay  particular  attention 
to  this  matter.  I  would  say,  it  is  your  duty  to  learn 
to  treat  all  books  which  you  take  into  your  hands, 
with  neatness  and  care;  but  it  is  especiciUy  your  duty 
thus  to  treat  all  books  obtained  on  loan,  either  from 
public  or  private  libraries; — to  keep  them  clean;  to 
guard  against  turning  down  their  leaves,  holding 
them  over  the  fire,  defacing,  or  otherwise  injuring 
them;  and  to  return  them  seasonably  and  carefully. 
I  am  deliberately  of  the  opinion,  that  whenever  a 
student  has  evinced  habitual,  or  frequent  carelessness 
on  any  of  these  points,  he  ought  to  be  considered  as 
a  person  unfit  to  be  intrusted  with  books,  and  to 
have  the  shelves  of  a  library  closed  against  him. 
19.  Carefully  avoid  defacing,  or  injuring  any 

PART    OF     THE    PUBLIC    EDIFICE    OR    ITS    FURNITURE. 

There  appears  to  be  a  physical  temperament  in 
some  young  men,  which  continually  impels  them  to 
be  cutting,  scratching,  or,  in  some  other  way,  com- 
mitting spoliations  on  every  wainscot,  table,  chair,  or 
other  fixture,  within  their  reach.     Now,  that  this 


204  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

should  be  done  by  silly  or  unprincipled  college  boys, 
we  no  longer  wonder,  because,  after  all  the  "  pledges 
of  their  truth  and  honour,"  that  they  will  abstain 
from  such  things,  we  so  frequently  see  it  exemplified. 
But  we  are  not  prepared  to  see  any  thing  of  this  kind 
done  by  theological  students,  and,  happily,  we  very 
seldom  do  see  it.  Yet  I  have  certainly  known  such 
a  phenomenon,  in  some  rare  cases  to  exist,  at  least  in 
one  theological  seminary.  Give  no  countenance,  I 
pray  you,  to  such  a  practice.  Consider  the  seminary, 
and  every  thing  belonging  to  it,  as  the  property  of 
the  church.  Be  as  careful  to  preserve  every  part  of 
it  from  the  smallest  injury  as  if  it  were  your  own. 
Nay,  methinks,  a  mind  of  rigid  Christian  delicacy 
will  consider  such  property  ^^  far  more  sacred  than 
his  oion;  and  will  be  careful  to  repair,  to  the  least 
tittle,  every  injury  which  it  may  through  him  have 
sustained. 

20.  Finally;  at  the  close  of  every  day,  and  espe- 
cially of  every  week,  call  yourself  to  a  solemn 

ACCOUNT  FOR  THE  MANNER  IN  WHICH  YOU  HAVE 
SPENT  THE  PRECEDING    DAY    OR  WEEK.       We    are    SO 

apt  to  become  listless  and  indolent  with  respect  to 
details  so  continually  recurring,  that  we  need  a  fre- 
quent, nay  a  stated  memento  of  what  is  incumbent 
upon  us.  At  the  close  of  every  day  and  week,  then, 
let  me  advise  you,  in  the  solitude  of  your  apartment, 
to  ask  yourself, — How  have  I  spent  the  preceding 
day  or  week  ?  How  have  I  fulfilled  my  duty — my 
engagements — the  plan  of  the  institution  in  which 
the  head  of  the  church  has  placed  me  ?  Have  I 
violated  any  rule,  either  in  its  letter  or  spirit  ?  Have 
I  been  diligent  in  study — punctual,  to  a  moTnent,  in 


HABITS  IN  THE  SE:\riNARY.  205 

my  attendance  on  every  prescribed  task — and  duly 
attentive  to  the  feelings  of  all  my  brethren  ?  And  if 
you  occupy  a  room  in  company  with  another  student, 
let  these  inquiries  be  made  an  object  of  joint  atten- 
tion. You  may,  by  adopting  this  plan,  be  the  means 
of  refreshing  each  other's  memory,  and  stimulating 
each  other's  conscience;  and  thus  doubling  the  benefit, 
both  to  yourselves,  and  the  institution  of  which  you 
are  members. 


LETTER    VIII. 


Give  attendance  to  reading. — 1  Tim.  iv.  13. 


HABITS  IN  THE  STUDY. 

My  dear  young  friend, 

When  a  young  man  enters  a  theological  seminary, 
he  may  be  supposed  to  be  already  familiar  with  study. 
He  must  necessarily  have  made  some  decent  acquisi- 
tions in  the  Greek  and  Latin  languages,  and  in  the 
branches  of  physical  and  moral  science  commonly 
taught  in  our  colleges.  Of  course  he  may  be  pre- 
sumed to  have  some  acquaintance  with  mental  exertion 
and  discipline.  Yet  many,  in  these  circumstances, 
have  been  so  imperfectly  directed,  or  so  negligent  of 
direction,  in  the  earlier  parts  of  their  course,  that  they 
need  to  be  put  on  a  new  track;  and  all,  perhaps,  may 
be  benefited  by  an  occasional  suggestion  and  stimulus 
in  their  future  efforts. 

The  following  counsels,  you  may  rest  assured, 
whatever  may  have  been  hitherto  your  habits,  are 
worthy  of  your  serious  consideration. 

I.  One  of  the  most  indispensable  preliminaries  to 
your  engaging  in  profitable  study,  is  that  you  cherish 
a  deep  sense  of  the  great  extent,  and  the  infi- 
nite   IMPORTANCE    OF    THEOLOGICAL    SCIENCE.       No 


HABITS  IN  THE   STUDY.  207 

man  will  summon  his  whole  strength  to  any  work, 
and  put  in  requisition  all  his  diligence  and  zeal  in 
pursuing  it,  unless  he  act  under  the  deep  impression 
that  it  is  hoth  arduous,  and  worthy  of  his  hest  powers; 
that  it  will  require  his  utmost  eflbrts  to  accomplish 
what  he  ought  to  aim  at;  and  that  the  advantages  of 
making  the  attainment  will  be  richly  worthy  of  the 
labour.  Accordingly,  I  have  no  doubt  that  one  prin- 
cipal reason  why  so  many  candidates  for  the  ministry 
pursue  the  study  of  theology  in  a  languid,  perfunctory 
manner,  is  that  they  take  narrow  and  altogether 
inadequate  views  of  the  compass,  depth,  and  value 
of  this  branch  of  knowledge.  They  hastily  adopt 
the  degrading  notion,  that  a  careful  perusal  of  the 
Bible,  together  with  some  approved  system  of  di- 
vinity, and  twenty  or  thirty  other  volumes,  will  be 
sufficient  to  prepare  them  for  the  j)ulpit.  No  wonder 
that,  with  this  sentiment,  their  studies  are  lazy  and 
superficial  upon  principle.  No  wonder  that  they 
study  but  little,  and  that  to  that  little  they  bring 
scarcely  any  real  intellectual  cfibrt.  It  is  impossible 
seriously  to  undertake  the  correction  of  such  an  un- 
worthy and  childish  estimate  of  the  subject  as  this. 
He  who  can,  with  any  intelligence,  glance  over  the 
list  of  studies  prescribed  for  the  regular  course  in 
this  seminary;  or  he  who  can  peruse  such  a  book  as 
Calvui's  Institutes,  Edwards  on  the  Will,  Butler's 
Analogy,  IVarburton's  Divine  Legation  of  Moses, 
or  Magce  on  Atonement  and  Sacrifice,  without  re- 
ceiving a  deep  impression  that  such  a  knowledge  of 
theology,  in  its  various  departments  and  relations,  as 
will  qualify  a  man,  in  any  tolerable  degree,  to  be  a 
teacher  of  thousands,  requires  profound,  patient,  and 


208  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

laborious  study;  must  have  either  a  very  weak,  or  a 
very  perverted  understanding.  To  gain  knowledge 
enough  to  be  what  some  call,  "a  pretty  preacher," 
(a  hateful  and  degrading  epithet  for  an  ambassador 
of  Christ)  is  not  difficult;  but  to  be  a  sound,  thorough 
divine,  you  may  rest  assured,  is  neither  a  common, 
nor  an  easy  attainment. 

Sit  down,  then,  to  your  studies,  every  day,  under 
the  deep  impression  that  what  you  have  to  do,  de- 
mands your  best  powers,  and  your  utmost  diligence. 
Take  large  views  of  theology  and  the  auxiliary 
branches  of  knowledge.  Cherish  an  ardent  thirst  for 
knowledge.  Aim  high;  not  on  the  scale  of  honour; 
but  in  the  attainment  of  furniture  with  which  to 
serve  your  Master.  Resolve,  if  Providence  permit, 
to  be  "  a  workman  that  shall  not  need  to  be  ashamed." 
Account  no  labour  too  great  that  may  be  necessary 
for  gaining  your  object.  Then,  and  only  then,  can 
you  hope  to  study  to  much  purpose. 

2.  You  will  never  study  theology  to  advantage, 

UNLESS  YOU  CHERISH  A  PECULIAR  AND  DEVOLED  AT- 
TACHMENT TO  THE  OFFICE   WHICH    YOU    SEEK.       YoU 

profess  to  have  chosen  the  profession  of  a  minister 
of  the  gospel,  because  you  deliberately  prefer  it  to 
every  other.  And  in  this  profession  I  hope  you  are 
sincere.  But  this  is  not  enough.  You  ought  not 
only  deliberately  to  prefer  it;  but  to  cultivate  for  it, 
habitually,  an  ardent  love;  a  ruling  passion;  an  attach- 
ment of  the  fondest  and  most  heartfelt  kind.  If  there 
be  a  profession  in  the  world  which  is  worthy  of 
drawing  forth,  every  hour,  all  the  strongest  and  most 
elevated  affections  of  the  soul,  the  ministry  of  recon- 
ciliation is  surely  that  profession.     On  this  subject  I 


HABITS  IN  THE   STUDY.  20& 

cannot  forbear  to  transcribe  a  short  passage  from  a 
sermon  by  the  most  able  and  eloquent  preacher  now 
in  Etif^land.  "How  high  and  awful  a  function  is 
that  which  proposes  to  establish  in  the  soul  an  inte- 
rior dominion;  to  illuminate  its  powers  by  a  celestial 
light;  and  introduce  it  to  an  intimate,  ineffable  and 
unchanging  alliance  with  the  Father  of  Spirits! — 
The  moment  we  permit  ourselves  to  think  lightly  of 
the  Christian  ministry,  our  right  arm  is  withered; 
nothing  but  imbecility  and  relaxation  remains.  For 
no  man  ever  excelled  in  a  profession  to  which  he  did 
not  feel  an  attachment  bordering  on  enthusiasm: 
though  what  in  otiier  professions  is  enthusiasm,  is,  in 
ours,  the  dictate  of  sobriety  and  truth."* 

If  you  have  not  learned,  my  young  friend,  the 
precious  art  of  pursuing  your  professional  studies,  not 
only  with  a  deep  sense  of  their  importance;  but,  as 
the  Italians  say,  con  (nnorc:  if  they  do  not  form  the 
pursuit  in  which  your  heart  delights,  for  its  own  sake, 
and  more  especially  for  the  sake  of  its  blessed  end; 
your  attainments  will  be  tardy  and  imperfect.  Be  it 
your  care,  then,  daily  to  nurture  in  your  soul  thi.s 
attachment,  this  ardent  delight;  to  enter  moi-e  and 
more  into  the  sweetness  of  that  knowledge  which  is 
to  be  so  nobly  employed;  into  the  preciousness  of 
that  profession,  the  object  of  which  is  the  highest  in 
the  universe.  Let  men  in  secular  professions  toil  for 
"the  dust  of  wealth,"  or  the  "vapour  of  fame." 
The  profession  for  which  you  are  preparing,  carries 
with  it,  more  than  aay  other  on  this  side  of  heaven, 

•   Rev.  Robert  Hall. — Sermon  on  the  Discouragements   and: 
Supports  of  the  Christian  Ministry. 

S^ 


210  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

its  own  reward.  While  it  promotes  the  real  welfare 
of  men,  and  the  glory  of  God,  it  purifies,  enriches, 
and  elevates  the  labourer  himself,  making  him  twice 
blest;  blest  in  giving,  and  blest  in  receiving.  Me- 
thinlis,  if  you  have  a  particle  of  the  spirit  of  Christ 
in  your  bosom,  it  will  be  more  or  less  kindled  into  a 
flame  of  holy  pleasure  in  sitting  down  to  studies  of 
such  a  character. 

3.  Strive  to  acquire  the  habit  of  close  and 
FIXED  attention  IN  STUDY.  I  kuow  not  a  more 
fatal  defect  in  a  student,  than  the  want  of  this  habit. 
He  who  has  not  learned  the  art  of  fastening  his  mind 
on  a  subject,  and  of  holding  that  subject  strictly  and 
firmly  before  it,  will  never  look  deeply  into  any 
thing:  will  never  accomplish  any  thing  which  de- 
serves the  name  of  investigation.  It  is  generally 
known,  that,  to  the  possession  of  this  power,  Sir 
Isaac  Neivton  ascribed  all  his  attainments  in  science. 
If  you  do  not  already  possess  the  precious  faculty  in 
question,  try  to  attain  it.  If  you  fail  at  one  time,  be 
not  discouraged.  Try  again  and  again.  It  is  richly 
worth  all  the  agony  of  effort  that  you  can  possibly 
make  for  its  acquirement.  Make  incessant  efforts, 
then,  until  you  succeed,  to  summon  your  powers  to 
concentrated  action;  to  shut  out,  at  pleasure,  all  ex- 
traneous objects;  to  go  from  step  to  step  without 
interruption;  and  to  keep  fast  hold  of  the  thread 
which  you  first  seize  until  you  trace  it  to  the  end. 
From  the  moment  that  you  open  a  book,  or  take 
your  pen  in  hand,  give  undivided  attention  to  what 
you  are  about,  until  you  close  the  one,  or  lay  down 
the  other. 

4.  Endeavour   habitually    to    study    with    a 


HABITS  IN  THE   STT'DY.  211 

DEvorT  spiKiT.  By  this  I  mean  that  j'ou  endeavour 
always  to  study  under  the  deep  impression,  that  the 
suhjects,  which  you  are  ens>;aged  in  exaniiniiiL;;,  are 
sacred  suhjects,  and  the  knowled<j;e  whioli  you  are 
labouring  to  acquire,  is  consecrated  knowledge;  that 
the  great,  and  the  only  proper  end  of  all,  is  practical 
usefulness,  in  promoting  the  glory  of  God,  and  the 
welfare  of  men;  and  that  for  all  your  privileges  and 
opportunities,  you  are  hastening  to  a  solemn  account. 
The  motto  of  an  old  Spanish  Catholic  divine — Ocii- 
his  ad  Scopnm — ought  to  be  continually  fixed  in 
your  mind.  Such  impressions  will  give  you  a  deeper 
interest  in  your  studies;  W'ill  promote  diligence  in 
them;  will  serve  to  fix  that  which  you  acquire  more 
firmly  in  your  mind;  and  will  prevent  your  wasting 
your  time  in  frivolous  pursuits.  0  my  young  friend, 
if  every  hour  spent  in  your  study,  were  spent  under 
the  practical  recollection,  that  you  are  not  your  own; 
that  the  eye  of  your  Master  is  upon  you;  and  that 
every  mental  effort  may  he  considered  as  a  seed  of 
eternity,  both  with  regard  to  yourself  and  others; — 
with  what  fixedness  and  solemnity  of  spirit  would 
your  studies  be  conducted  ! 

5.  Constantly  implore  the  aid  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  study.  The  duty  of  humbly  and  impor- 
tunately asking  the  blessed  Spirit's  influence,  to 
sanctify  our  affections,  and  to  aid  us  in  cultivating  all 
tlic  graces  and  virtues  of  tlic  Cliristian  life,  will  not, 
I  suppose,  be  disputed  by  any  one  who  has  the 
smallest  tincture  of  piety.  But  I  fear  it  is  not  so 
universally  recognised,  even  by  pious  students,  that 
the  same  gracious  aid  ought  to  be  solicited  and  ex- 
pected, in   all    the   intellectual    culture,    and    in    all 


212  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

investigation  of  truth.  Is  it  either  unreasonable  or 
unscriptural  to  believe,  that  the  Spirit  of  God  can, 
and  often  does,  enlarge  and  invigorate  the  intellec- 
tual faculties,  extend  the  scope  of  their  vision,  and 
give  them  deeper  and  clearer  views  than  without  this 
aid  they  could  have  taken  ?  It  were,  it  seems  to  me, 
a  species  of  atheism  to  doubt  it.  "  Think  with 
5'ourself  how  easily  and  how  insensibly,  by  one  turn 
of  thought,  the  Father  of  lights  can  lead  you  into  a 
large  scene  of  useful  ideas.  He  can  teach  you  to  lay 
hold  on  a  clew  which  may  guide  your  thoughts  with 
safety  and  ease  through  all  the  difficulties  of  an  in- 
tricate subject.  By  his  secret  and  supreme  govern- 
ment, he  can  draw  you  to  read  such  a  treatise,  or 
converse  with  such  a  person,  who  may  give  3-ou  more 
light  into  some  deep  subject  in  an  hour,  than  you 
could  obtain  by  a  month  of  your  own  solitary 
labour."*  You  remember,  I  presume,  tliat  Milton^ 
in  preparing  to  enter  on  the  composition  of  the 
Paradise  Lost,  recognised,  in  the  most  explicit 
manner,  his  desire  and  expectation  of  the  divine  help 
of  which  I  sj^eak.  ''  This  is  not  to  be  obtained," 
says  he,  "  but  by  devout  prayer  to  that  Eternal 
Spirit  that  can  enrich  with  all  utterance  and  know- 
ledge, and  sends  out  his  seraphim  with  the  hallowed 
fire  of  his  altar,  to  touch  and  purify  the  lips  of  whom 
he  pleases."  Did  the  poet  speak  thus  of  his  work  ? 
And  shall  the  divine,  or  the  candidate  for  the  sacred 
office,  hesitate  to  adopt  similar  language  concerning 
his  infinitely  momentous  inquiries  and  employments  ? 
Nay,  did  even  heathen  poets  frequently  begin  their 

*  TVatts'  Improvement  of  the  Mind,  chap.  1 . 


HABITS  IN  THE  STUDY.  213 

composition  by  invoking  the  aid  of  their  fancied 
deities;  and  shall  Christian  ministers,  who  know  that 
they  have  an  omniscient  and  omnipresent  God,  who 
is  '"able  and  ready  to  help,"  neglect  to  apply  day  by 
day,  for  that  help  ?  If  you  wish,  then,  to  investigate 
profoundly  and  profitably;  if  you  desire  to  avoid  the 
de])lorab]e  delusions  into  wliich  others  have  fallen, 
and  to  be  preserved  from  that  i)ride  and  presumption 
of  intellect  which  have  ensnared  some  of  the  greatest 
men  that  ever  lived;  "  pray  without  ceasing,"  that 
the  Spirit  of  all  grace  may  enlighten  your  mind; 
may  strengthen  all  its  powers;  may  inspire  you  with 
wisdom  and  discernment;  and  may  deliver  you,  in 
your  search  after  truth,  from  the  influence  of  that 
pride,  vanity,  prejudice,  bigotry,  and  passion,  which 
are  so  apt  to  blind  the  perceptive  faculties,  and  con- 
trol the  judgments,  even  of  good  men.  Especially 
do  this,  with  more  than  usual  care  and  solemnity, 
when  you  are  entering  on  a  new  study,  or  engaging 
in  the  perusal  of  a  new  book.  Does  every  Christian 
implore  the  blessing  of  God  when  he  sits  down  to  a 
social  meal  ?  And  can  a  Christian  student  sit  down 
to  an  intellectual  feast,  or  effort,  without  importu- 
nately asking  of  him  who  gave  him  his  mind,  and 
supports  it  every  moment  in  exercise,  to  preside  over 
all  its  operation,  and  to  crown  tlicm  with  his  abundant 
blessing  ? 

6.  Never  imagine  that  any  valuable  amount  of 
knowledge,  and  especially  of  accurate  knowledge,  is 
to  be  obtained  without  labour, — and  much  la- 
bour. I  do  not  forget  that  you  have  a  mind,  to  a 
very  respectable  degree,  vigorous  and  active.  But, 
notwithstanding  this,  rely  upon  it,  if  you  will  not 


214  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

consent  to  apply  yourself  to  the  acquisition  of  know- 
ledge, laboriously,  patiently,  and  indefatigably, 
you  will  never  attain  much.  I  have  directed  close 
attention  to  this  subject,  ever  since  my  connexion 
with  the  seminary;  and  the  result,  without  one  soli- 
tary exception  is,  that  I  never  knew  an  individual 
gain  any  considerable  mass  of  really  digested  and 
valuable  knowledge,  without  unwearied  industry. 
The  maxim,  MsXst'/;  to  Tav,  of  Periander,  the  old 
Grecian  sage,  is  worth  its  weight  in  gold.  Patient 
application  is,  literally,  eyery  thing.  Without  it, 
you  may  have  a  number  of  half-formed  ideas  floating 
in  your  mind  ;  but  deep,  connected,  large  and  con- 
sistent views  of  any  subject,  you  will  never  gain. 

But  in  relation  to  this  point,  I  suspect  there  is  a 
very  prevalent  error.  It  is,  that  these  deep  views  of 
particular  subjects,  are  to  be  obtained  by  one,  or  a 
few  mighty  efforts.  Be  assured,  whatever  may  be 
the  case  with  a  rare  genius,  now  and  then,  it  is,  com- 
monly, not  so.  The  old  French  proverb,  "  Pas  a 
2)as  on  va  bien  loin,'"  i.  e.  "  Step  by  step  one  goes 
very  far,"  affords  the  real  clew  to  the  proper  course. 
A  mountain  is  not  to  be  passed  at  a  single  leap;  nor 
a  deep  and  rich  mine  to  be  explored  by  a  single 
stroke  of  the  spade.  But  a  sufficient  number  of  slow, 
cautious,  patient  efforts,  will  accomplish  the  enter- 
prise. So  it  is  in  study.  Impatient  haste  is  the 
bane  of  deep  intellectual  work.  A  little,  thoroughly 
done,  every  day,  will  make  no  contemptible  figure  at 
the  end  of  the  year.  If  I  could  be  sure  of  your  en- 
tering completely  into  the  spirit  of  this  principle,  I 
should  have  no  doubt  of  your  accomplishing  much. 

7.  Closely  connected  with  this  counsel  is  another, 


HABITS  IN  THE  STUDY.  215 

viz. THAT    YOU     LEAVE    NOTHING    TILL    YOU    HAVE 

DONE  IT  WELL.  Skimming  over  the  surfixce  of  any 
subject  is  of  very  little  use.  Passing  on  to  something 
else,  before  that  which  precedes  is  half  understood, 
is  really,  oftentimes,  worse  than  useless;  because  it 
deceives  with  the  name  of  knowledge;  and  because 
it  deposites  in  the  memory,  if  there  be  a  dcposite 
made  there  at  all,  mere  abortions,  instead  of  mature 
births.  The  instances  in  which  young  men,  and 
even  candidates  for  the  holy  ministry,  cheat  them- 
selves by  indulging  in  this  practice,  by  running  over 
a  task,  as  eye-servants  are  wont  to  do,  without  per- 
forming any  part  of  it  well,  are  as  numerous  as  they 
are  melancholy.  My  dear  friend,  be  not  thus  unjust 
to  yourself.  It  is  your  own  interest  for  which  I 
plead.  If  you  are  studying  a  language,  be  careful 
to  sift  to  the  bottom  the  grammatical  character,  as 
well  as  the  strict  meaning  of  every  word,  before  you 
proceed  to  another.  If  you  have  occasion  to  ascer- 
tain tlie  time  or  place  of  any  particular  event,  be  sure 
to  examine  instantly  and  thoroughly,  and  endeavour 
to  form  some  plan  for  fixing  it  firmly  in  your  mind. 
If  you  are  investigating  any  important  doctrine,  be 
not  ready  to  leave  it.  Come  to  it  again  and  again; 
seeking  light  from  every  quarter;  and  perusing  with 
attention  the  best  books,  until  you  have  entered,  as 
far  as  you  are  capable,  into  its  profoundest  merits. 
And  if  compelled,  by  any  circumstance,  to  leave  the 
subject  before  you  have  reached  this  point,  hold  it  in 
reserve  for  another  and  more  satisfactory  examina- 
tion. In  short,  let  your  motto,  and,  as  far  as  practi- 
cable, your  habit,  be,  to  leave  nothing  till  you  have 
thoroughly   mastered  it.     And   by    mastering   a 


216  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

subject,  I  mean  investigating  it  to  the  bottom,  until 
you  come  to  a  clear  view  of  the  fundamental  princi- 
ples on  which  it  rests.  For,  until  you  do  this,  you 
cannot  really  be  said  to  understand  any  subject.  On 
this  point,  Mr.  Locke,  in  his  "  Conduct  of  the  Under- 
standing," (§  43)  makes  a  remark  which  I  think 
worth  transcribing.  "  There  are  fundamental  truths 
which  lie  at  the  bottom,  the  basis  upon  which  a  great 
many  others  rest,  and  in  which  they  have  their  con- 
sistency. These  are  teeming  truths,  rich  in  store, 
with  which  they  furnish  the  mind,  and,  like  the 
lights  of  heaven,  are  not  only  beautiful  and  entertain- 
ing in  themselves,  but  give  light  and  evidence  to 
other  things,  that  without  them  could  not  be  seen  or 
known. — These,  and  such  as  these,  are  the  truths  we 
should  endeavour  to  find  out,  and  store  our  minds 
with." 

8.  With  respect  to  all  important  subjects,  I  would 
advise  you   to    bring    your    acquaintance   with 

THEM    TO    THE    TEST    OF    WRITING.       It   is  WOndcrful 

how  far  the  crudeness  and  inadequacy  of  a  man's 
knowledge  on  a  given  subject,  may  be  hidden  from 
his  own  mind,  until  he  attempts  to  express  what  he 
knows  on  paper.  He  then  finds  himself  at  a  loss  at 
every  step,  and  cannot  proceed  without  much  exten- 
sion, and  no  less  correction,  of  his  former  attainments. 
Nay,  sometimes  he  finds  that  he  must  begin  again, 
from  the  very  foundation,  and  that  he  has  not  really 
mastered  any  part  of  the  subject.  Now  to  obviate 
this  difficulty,  from  the  outset,  in  studying  every 
subject  in  which  it  is  practicable,  make  a  liberal  use 
of  your  pen.  I  believe,  indeed,  that  one  of  the  best 
methods  of  becoming  accurately  and  familiarly  ac- 


HABITS  IN  THE  STUDY.  217 

quainted  with  any  subject,  is  to  write  upon  it.  It  was 
said  of  one  of  the  most  voUiminous  writers  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  that,  whenever  he  wished  to 
make  himself  well  acquainted  with  any  branch  of 
knowled!i;e,  he  wrote  and  published  a  book  upon  it. 
In  writing,  he  was  undoubtedly  wise:  in  puhJish- 
ing,  it  may  be  questioned  whether  he  treated  the 
republic  of  letters  with  as  much  respect  as  he  ought. 
It  was,  in  fact,  palming  upon  it  the  immature  produc- 
tions of  a  tyro,  rather  than  those  of  a  master  work- 
man. But,  without  giving  the  least  countenance  to 
the  thought  of  imposing  your  juvenile  lucubrations 
on  the  public,  I  would  earnestly  advise  you  to  employ 
writing,  as  far  as  may  be  consistent  with  your  health, 
and  other  engagements,  as  a  constant  medium  of  in- 
vestigation. I  would  say,  with  the  learned  and  pious 
Dr.  Jidam  Clarke,  in  his  "  Letter  to  a  Methodist 
preacher,"  before  quoted,  "  Have  always  some  essay 
or  dissertation  upon  the  anvil."  And,  I  will  add,  if 
no  other  eye  than  your  own  ever  see  it,  the  labour 
bestowed  upon  it  will  certainly  be  more  than  repaid 
by  its  benefit  to  yourself. 

9,  In  investigating  the  fundamental  doctrines  of 
theology,  let  the  testimony  of  scripture  hold 
THE  FIRST  PLACE.  With  many  the  order  of  proceed- 
ing is  entirely  different.  The  first  thing  they  study 
is  the  systematic  work  of  some  favourite  author. 
Having  done  this,  they  resort  to  the  scriptures  rather 
to  confirm  his  statements,  than  to  bring  them  to  the 
test  of  the  only  infallible  standard.  Their  minds 
are  made  up  before  they  come  to  what  ought  to  be 
the  most  decisive  point  of  the  inquiry.  I  hope  you 
will  never  allow  this  to  be  your  course  of  proceed- 

T 


218  LETTERS   ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

ing.  When  you  are  about  to  examine  the  correctness 
of  a  particular  doctrine,  approach  it  rather  as  a  de- 
tached subject,  to  be  scrutinized  from  the  ver}^  foun- 
dation, than  as  a  settled  article  of  orthodox  belief. 
First  of  all,  collect,  arrange,  and  weigh  the  principal 
passages  of  scripture  which  appear  to  bear  on  the 
doctrine  in  question.  Having  done  this,  as  thoroughly 
and  impartially  as  you  are  able,  let  your  next  step  be 
to  read  with  care  the  best  works  which  have  been 
written  on  the  subject,  bothybr  and  against  what  is 
deemed  the  orthodox  opinion.  It  is  not  only  the 
duty  of  a  theological  student,  as  an  humble  and  sin- 
cere inquirer  after  truth,  to  do  full  justice  to  all  the 
reasonings  of  its  opponents;  but  it  is  no  less  \\\s jjolicy , 
as  a  teacher  of  others,  to  endeavour  to  go  to  the 
bottom  of  the  most  powerful  arguments  which  are 
brought  against  his  own  creed,  that  he  may  be  able 
effectually  to  expose  their  error,  and  to  establish  the 
truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  He  who  has  studied  only  one 
side  of  any  question,  even  though  that  be  the  right 
side,  is  by  no  means  qualified  to  meet  and  vanquish 
the  enemies  of  his  Master. 

10.  Carefully  maintain  order  in  study.  He 
who  does  not  study  upo)i  a  plan,  will  never  pursue 
his  studies  to  much  advantage.  In  our  seminary, 
indeed,  order  is  absolutely  indispensable,  if  you  would 
do  any  thing;  for  there  is  an  order  in  all  the  public 
exercises,  to  which  every  student  is  bound  to  adhere, 
and  without  a  substantial  adherence  to  which,  he  had 
better  be  absent  from  the  institution.  Have  a  fixed 
time,  then,  for  every  study;  and,  as  far  as  practicable, 
adhere  to  it  inflexibly.  I  say,  as  far  as  practicable; 
for  there  is  such  a  thing  as  a  student's  making  him- 


HABITS  IN  THE  STUDY.  219 

self  the  shwe  of  his  plan,  instead  of  using  it  as  an 
auxiliary.  He  may  erect  it  into  an  end.  instead  of 
employing  it  as  a  means.  His  plans  were  made  for 
him,  and  not  he  for  his  plans.  Let  your  plan  of 
study,  therefore,  be,  at  all  times,  judicious,  practica- 
ble, and  adapted  to  your  situation;  such  as  you  will 
not  be  com])elled  frequently  to  violate.  Do  not  be 
perpetually  altering  it;  and  yet  accommodate  it,  from 
time  to  time,  to  your  situation.  If  you  either  alter 
it,  or  depart  from  it,  very  frequently,  it  will  sooa 
cease  to  have  any  power  over  you.  And  here,  as  in 
many  other  cases,  you  will  have  occasion  for  all  that 
DECISION  OF  CHARACTER  which  is  SO  important  in  a 
public  man.  I  could  almost  venture  to  prognosticate 
whether  you  would  do  much  to  purpose  in  future 
life,  if  I  only  knew  with  what  degree  of  rigour  you 
adhere  to  your  plan  of  study.  If  you  are  unsteady 
and  undecided  in  regard  to  this,  you  will  probably 
be  so  in  every  important  occupation  as  long  as  you 
live. 

11.  Let  }'our  most  important  studies  be  assigned  to 
those  hours  in  which  you  perceive  your  mind  to 

BE  IN  A  STATE  MOST  FAVOURABLE  TO  EXERTION.     No 

one  rule  can  be  laid  down  which  will  suit  all.  The 
tastes  of  diflerent  individuals  with  respect  to  seasons 
of  study,  are  as  different  as  their  tastes  with  regard 
to  articles  of  food;  and  the  former  must,  to  a  certain 
degree,  like  the  latter,  be  indulged.  With  some,  the 
best  hours  for  study  are  very  early  in  the  morning; 
with  others  in  the  forenoon;  and  with  a  third  class, 
during  the  retirement  and  stillness  of  the  evening. 
If  there  be  a  material  difference  with  you,  ascertain 
it,  by  a  fair  and  thorough  experiment,  and  distribute 


220  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

your  time  accordingly.  Carefully  consult  the  powers 
and  bias  of  your  own  mind,  and  you  cannot  be  much 
at  a  loss  about  the  proper  distribution. 

12.  Let  the    proportion   of  time  assigned  to 

EACH  STUDY,  BE  DETERMINED  BY  ITS  RELATIVE  IM- 
PORTANCE. This  counsel  is  so  obvious,  and  so 
weighty,  that  neither  illustration  nor  enforcement 
can  be  necessary.  To  a  divine,  every  one  sees  that 
the  study  of  the  Bible,  and  of  Didactic  and 
Polemic  Theology,  is  most  essential.  But  how  often 
are  these  postponed  to  studies  of  far  less  moment ! 

13.  Do  not  embrace  too  much  in  your  plan  of 
STUDY.  Some  diversity  of  objects  in  a  course  of 
study  is  desirable.  Variety  relieves  and  refreshes 
the  mind.  But  where  the  number  of  departments  is 
so  great  as  to  distract,  and  to  keep  up  a  constant 
fever  of  pursuit,  the  effect  cannot  fail  of  being  un- 
favourable. To  how  many  studies  you  may  with 
advantage  attend,  in  a  single  day,  or  week,  depends 
so  much  on  the  circumstances  in  which  the  student 
IS  placed,  and  the  peculiarity  of  his  mind,  that  no 
other  general  rule  can  be  laid  down  than  this,  viz. 
that  no  one  ought  to  undertake  more  than  he  can 
accomplish  without  hurry,  perturbation,  or  fatigue. 

14.  Let  even  your  light  reading  be  such  as 
shall  exert  a  favourable  influence  on  your 
professional  studies,  a  candidate  for  the  sacred 
office,  and  even  he  who  already  fills  that  office,  must 
have,  and  ought  to  have,  his  light  reading;  that  is, 
a  kind  of  reading,  which,  while  it  is  really  calculated 
to  enlarge,  enlighten  and  polish  the  mind,  does  not 
require  the  same  severe  application  with  many  of  the 
more  important  subjects  and  books  of  study.     Works 


HABITS  IN  THE  STUDY.  221 

of  imagination,  taste  and  entertainment,  belong,  of 
course,  to  this  class.  If  you  had  time  enough,  with- 
out neglecting  better  things,  I  should  say,  read  all 
the  Jirst  rate  works  of  this  class  that  you  can  obtain. 
But  you  have  not  time.  Life  is  short;  and  duties 
far  more  momentous,  both  of  study  and  of  action, 
demand  the  much  larger  jDortion  of  your  attention. 
You  must,  therefore,  be  content  with  a  selection,  and 
even  a  small  selectioii,  from  the  first  rate  list.  Now, 
my  advice  is,  that  this  selection  be  made  with  a 
sacred  reference  to  its  bearing  on  your  professional 
studies.  Let  your  choice  fall  on  such  works  as 
those  of  Shakespeare,  Milton,  Addison,  Pope, 
Young,  Thompson,  Coivper,  Johnson,  &c.;  and 
also  on  the  best  productions  of  the  class  of  biography 
and  travels.  These,  while  they  relax  and  refresh 
the  mind,  wearied  by  severe  application,  tend  to  fill 
it  with  noble  sentiments;  to  make  it  fiimiliar  with 
the  most  masterly  diction;  and  to  furnish  that  kind 
of  information  which  may  be  every  day  brought  to 
bear  upon  the  duties  of  the  sacred  office.  Whereas 
some  other  w'orks,  nearly  as  powerful  in  conception, 
and  fascinating  in  style,  abound  in  images  and  a  spirit, 
which  the  less  they  are  known,  or  the  sooner  they 
are  forgotten,  by  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  the  better 
it  will  be  for  his  heart,  if  not  also  for  his  head. 

15.  I  would  advise  you  to  exclude  novels  from 

YOUR     LIGHT    READING    ALTOGETHER.       I    thrOW  this 

counsel  into  a  separate  section,  for  the  purpose  of 
making  it  more  emphatical.  There  have  been  minis- 
ters who  were,  habitually,  among  the  most  devoted 
readers  of  novels  to  be  found.  But  I  hardly  iCed 
say,  that  they  were  not,  in  general,  the  most  diligent 


222  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

and  exemplary  in  the  discharge  of  their  parochial 
duties.  I  am  not  insensible  of  the  powerful  talents 
and  fascination  displayed  in  many  of  the  first  class 
of  novels.  But  on  this  very  account,  as  well  as 
others,  I  would  banish  them  from  the  study  of  a 
gospel  minister.  I  consider  them  as  an  article,  which, 
like  tobacco,  and  ardent  spirits,  if  a  man  use  at  all, 
he  will  probably  be  tempted  to  use  excessively. 
And,  therefore,  I  would  say,  Touch  not,  taste  not, 
handle  not.  No  one,  however  grave  his  character 
or  pursuits,  if  he  once  give  way  to  this  sort  of  read- 
ing, can  ever  be  sure  that  he  will  not  go  to  excess: 
and  every  man  who  abounds  in  novel  reading,  even 
though  he  be  a  clergyman,  will  suffer  both  intellec- 
tual and  moral  injury  of  no  trivial  import. 

16.  Never  pass  a  day,  if  you  can  avoid  it,  to  the 
end  of  life,  avithout  reading  more  or  less  of 
Latin,  Greek  and  Hebrew.  Yoa  will  scarcely 
believe,  without  having  made  the  experiment,  how 
little  time  bestowed  on  this  object,  every  day,  will 
keep  up,  and  insensibly  extend,  a  very  comfortable 
degree  of  acquaintance  with  the  languages  which  I 
have  mentioned.  After  you  quit  the  seminary,  and 
indeed  after  the  second  year  of  3"our  residence  in  it, 
you  will  probably  cease  to  bestow  any  formal  or  long- 
continued  attention,  at  any  one  time,  on  this  object. 
The  consequence  will  be,  unless  you  adopt  the  plan 
which  I  now  recommend,  that,  in  a  short  time,  you 
will  become  rusty  in  these  languages.  But  if,  from 
the  time  that  you  cease  to  attend  to  them  every  day 
as  a  task,  you  make  a  point  of  reading,  if  it  be  only 
two  or  three  sentences  of  each  language,  with  strict 
accuracy,  daily,  the  result  cannot  fail  of  being  greatly 


HABITS  IN  THE   STUDY.  223 

to  your  advantage.  For  this  purpose,  assign  some 
time  when  you  can  with  most  certainty  calculate  on 
freedom  from  interruption.  A  few  minutes  at  a  time, 
well  husbanded,  will  sufhce.  You  will  not  ask  me, 
I  am  sure,  of  what  solid  use  a  familiarity  with  these 
languages  will  be  to  you  ?  If  1  thought  a  theological 
student  capable  of  entertaining  a  doubt  as  to  this 
point,  I  should  really  consider  his  understanding  as 
manifesting  too  much  weakness  or  obliquity  to  be  a 
proper  object  of  reasoning. 

17.  Be  a  close  student  through  life.  It  is 
as  wonderful  as  it  is  humiliating,  how  entirely  habits 
of  study  are  abandoned  by  many  clerical  men,  almost 
as  soon  as  what  may  be  called  their  initiatory  course 
is  closed.  From  that  time,  they  seem  to  think  it 
sufficient,  if  they  read  and  think  enough,  each  week, 
to  address  their  people  twice  from  the  pulpit,  on  the 
sabbath,  in  a  common-place  way.  Thenceforward 
they  make  no  solid  addition  to  their  stock  of  know- 
ledge. Their  minds  become  lean  and  inactive. 
Instead  of  causing  "their  profiting  to  appear  unto 
all,"  every  time  they  enter  tlie  sacred  desk,  they 
become  more  and  more  jejune  and  uninteresting. 
With  the  habit,  they  lose  all  taste  for  study.  Their 
leisure  hours  are  spent  in  worldly  cares,  or  in  gos- 
sipping,  rather  than  among  their  books.  They  invite 
premature  intellectual  torpor  and  debility.  They 
cease  to  instruct  their  hearers.  And  soon  become  a 
dead  weight,  instead  of  a  comfort  and  blessing  to 
their  congregations.  Such  is  the  history  of  many  a 
minister  who  had  good  natural  talents;  and  concern- 
ing whom  the  expectations  of  his  friends  were 
raised;  but  who  could  never  be  persuaded  to  love 


224  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

study.  Rely  upon  it,  no  minister  will  ever  be,  for 
any  length  of  time  together,  really  acceptable  and 
popular  as  a  preacher,  who  is  not  a  constant  and  dili- 
gent student;  and  who  does  not  "  feed  his  hearers 
with  knowledge  and  with  understanding."  Keep  up 
this  habit  with  unabated  vigour  even  to  extreme  old 
age,  if  you  shall  ever  reach  it.  Strength  of  mind 
is  promoted  and  retained  by  nothing  so  much  as 
pei'severing  exercise.  Many  judges,  and  other 
secular  men,  retain  their  intellectual  powers,  unim- 
paired, to  the  age  of  seventy,  or  even  later.  But  the 
mass  of  ministers,  after  fifty-five,  make  no  more 
mental  efforts;  preach  over  their  old  sermons;  and 
study  little.  The  consequence  is,  that,  at  sixty,  they 
are  commonly  beginning  very  perceptibly  to  decline 
in  intellectual  vigour,  and  sometimes  greatly  to  the 
injury  of  the  cause  of  religion. 

Make  a  point,  then,  of  being  a  "  hard  student"  as 
long  as  you  live.  Keep  up  the  habit  of  reading  much, 
reflecting  much,  and  writing  much,  as  long  as  you 
have  strength  enough  to  open  a  book,  or  wield  a  pen. 
Content  not  yourself  with  merely  that  kind  of  stud}' 
which  will  qualify  you  to  prepare  your  sermons  with 
success;  but  let  your  constant  aim  be  to  make  rich 
and  solid  additions  to  your  stores  of  professional 
knowledge.  For  this  purpose  constantly  keep  under 
perusal  some  great  standard  work.  And  never  con- 
sider yourself  as  having  gotten  through  a  year  well, 
unless  you  have  carefully  read  seven  or  eight  such 
works,  in  addition  to  all  your  other  studies.  This 
will  render  your  sermonizing  more  easy  and  delight- 
ful to  yourself,  and  more  profitable  to  others.  It 
will  keep  up  the  activity  and  tone  of  your  mind. 


HABITS  IN  THE  STUDY.  225 

It  will  avert  premature  dotage;  and  better  qualify 
you,  in  every  respect,  to  do  your  Master's  work. 
18.  Do  not,  however,  coxfine  youkself  to  the 

PERUSAL     OF    books    STRICTLY     PROFESSIONAL.         Eu- 

dcavour,  as  far  as  practicable,  to  keep  pace  with  the 
current  literature  of  the  day,  by  reading  the  most 
important  new  books  which  appear.  Be  careful, 
also,  to  maintain  a  constant  familiarity  with  your 
college  studies.  There  is  a  shameful  negligence  on 
the  part  of  many  young  clergymen  as  to  this  matter. 
If  you  live,  you  will  probably  be,  one  day,  a  trustee, 
or  a  visiter  of  some  college  or  academy;  and  you  may 
often  be  called  upon  to  examine  students  on  all  the 
branches  of  knowledge  taught  in  those  institutions. 
And  will  you  not  disgrace  yourself,  if  you  shall  have 
become  so  rusty  in  those  studies  as  to  be  wholly  un- 
able to  do  it,  or  to  do  it  in  a  very  bungling  and 
inadequate  manner  ?  Besides;  you  know  not  to  what 
station  God  in  his  providence  may  call  you.  It  is 
the  part  of  a  wise  man  to  be  prepared  for  any  one. 
During  a  considerable  part  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
in  the  days  of  Dickinson,  Burr,  Edwards,  Davies, 
Finley,  Eiving,  Jillison,  Wilson,  IVitherspoon, 
Nisbet,  Sinith,  Macivhorter,  and  a  number  of  others 
who  might  be  mentioned,  we  had  a  very  honourable 
proportion  of  ministers  in  our  church,  whose  classi- 
cal and  scientific  attainments,  and  general  literature 
were  so  rich  and  mature,  that  they  were  well  qualified 
forthe  highest  literary  as  well  as  ecclesiastical  stations; 
and  acted  as  conservators  of  literature  in  their  respec. 
tive  neighbourhoods.  Whether  we  have  as  many 
now,  in  proportion  to  our  numbers,  who  are  thus 
qualified,  I  will  not  at  present  decide.     But  do  what 


226  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

in  you  lies,  that  the  Church  may  have  one  such  indi- 
vidual in  yourself. 

19.  Always  have  some  reading,  or  some  other 
intellectual    employment,    to    till  up  the    small 

SPACES  OP  time   which   WOULD  OTHERWISE  BE  LOST. 

To  the  man  of  real  wisdom,  every  moment  is  pre- 
cious. To  waste  even  single  minutes,  therefore, 
appears  to  him  unspeakably  more  foolish  than  throw- 
ing away  gold.  Yet,  in  the  lives  of  the  most  indus- 
trious, many  minutes  will  occur,  in  the  course  of 
every  day,  which  must  inevitably  be  wasted,  unless 
some  expedient  be  adopted  to  furnish  means  for  fill- 
ing up  every  vacant  moment,  however  unexpectedly 
it  may  occur.  For  this  purpose,  I  would  advise  you 
always  to  carry  a  Bible  in  your  pocket,  and  some 
other  portable  book  of  value,  which  may  be  taken  up 
for  a  few  moments,  wherever  you  may  happen  to  be, 
and  laid  down  again  without  material  disadvantage. 
And  when  you  go  from  home,  always  take  with  you 
books  enough,  and  of  the  proper  character,  for  the 
profitable  employment  of  you  time,  while  waiting  at 
taverns,  or  travelling  in  public  conveyances,  in  which 
many  an  hour  is  lost  by  the  improvident  man.  If 
you  are  only  awake  to  the  importance  of  this  subject, 
and  have  your  attention  vigilantly  directed  to  the 
economical  use  of  time,  it  is  wonderful  how  much  of 
it  may  be  easily  saved  from  utter  waste. 

20.' Study  much  with  your  pen  in  hand.  Keep 
several  blank  hooks  on  your  shelves.  One  of  these 
should  be  a  common-place  book,  in  which  you  should 
enter  references  to  the  volume,  chapter,  and  page,  in 
which  any  remarkably  just  sentiments,  or  able  dis- 
cussions are  to   be  found.     This  is,  undoubtedly,  a 


HABITS  IX  THE  STUDTT.  227 

method  greatly  preferable  to  that  which  is  adopted 
by  many;  I  mean  the  method  of  laboriously  trans- 
cribing long  passages  from  books;  which  ought  never 
to  be  done  unless  with  respect  to  such  books  as  you 
may  not  be  able  to  see  again.  If  you  possess,  or  can 
easily  procure  a  book,  a  reference  to  the  passage 
which  strikes  you,  under  its  appropriate  title,  in  a 
volume  kept  for  that  purpose,  is  quite  sufficient,  and 
much  less  labori6us  and  exhausting.  It  is  a  good 
thing,  too,  while  the  contents  of  a  book  of  sterling 
value  are  fresh  in  your  memory,  to  throw  on  paper 
a  compend  or  synopsis  of  the  scope,  plan,  and  rea- 
soning. This  will  not  only  tend  to  fix  thorn  in  your 
memory;  but  may  also  serve,  if  filed  and  preserved, 
some  important  purpose  afterwards.  And,  finally,  in 
an  interleaved  Bible  be  careful  to  enter,  in  a  small, 
neat  hand,  all  the  striking  criticisms,  and  expositions 
of  scripture,  which  you  may  meet  wuth  in  the  course 
of  your  reading,  or  your  attendance  on  the  preaching 
of  others. 

2i.  It  will  be,  in  many  cases,  a  great  saving  of 
time,  if  you  learn  the  character  of  books,  from 

GOOD  JUDGES,  BEFORE  YOU  READ  THEM.   As  nO  One 

has  time  or  strength  to  read  every  book  that  can  be 
found,  on  a  given  subject;  and  as  it  would  not  be 
worth  his  while  if  he  had;  it  is  desirable  for  a  student, 
at  the  outset  of  a  particular  investigation,  to  find  out, 
from  those  on  w^hom  he  can  rely,  what  writers  have 
treated  on  the  subject  which  he  wishes  to  explore, 
with  most  ability.  I  have  often  been  distressed  to 
see  inexperienced  but  zealous  readers,  wasting  weeks 
and  perhaps  months,  in  reading  inferior,  and  even 
paltry  books,  when  those  which  were  far  more  wor- 


228  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

thy  of  their  attention,  might  have  been  had  with 
equal  ease.  And  an  additional  reason  for  regret 
occurs,  when  a  student  whose  funds  are  extremely 
scanty,  expends  a  portion  of  them  in  the  purchase  of 
works  scarcely  deserving  a  perusal.  A  conversation 
with  some  learned  friend  in  reference  to  a  contem- 
plated book,  may  not  only  enable  you  to  judge  of  its 
relative  value;  but  may  really  prepare  you  to  read  it 
with  far  more  advantage  than  you  would  otherwise 
have  done. 

22.  Never  pursue  study  to  the  point  of  exhaus- 
tion, OR  EVEN    OF  VERY  SENSIBLE  FATIGUE.       There 

is  so  far  from  being  any  economy  in  this,  that  it  is 
the  most  injudicious  waste  of  time  and  strength  that 
can  well  be  imagined.  The  probability  is  that  you 
will  lose  ten  times  more  than  you  will  gain  by  it. 
Every  moment  that  you  spend  in  study  after  the 
mind  becomes  jaded,  is  worse  than  thrown  away. 
But  I  have  seen  so  many  instances  in  which  youth- 
ful students  were  deaf  to  all  warning  on  this  subject; 
so  many  instances  in  which,  under  the  impression 
that  they  could  bear  any  degree  of  application  to 
study  with  impunity,  they  madly  went  on,  until  the 
firmest  constitutions  were  broken  down, — in  some 
instances  irreparably; — that  I  despair  of  doing  much 
good  by  the  most  solemn  repetition  of  this  counsel. 
No  one,  in  an  ordinary  state  of  health,  ought  to  spend 
more  than  six  or  seven  hours  a  day  in  close  study. 
If  to  these  be  added  two  or  three  more  of  light 
reading,  there  will  be  as  much  time  devoted  to  intel- 
lectual exertion,  as  any  one  ought  ever  to  think  of. 
For  one  that  can  bear  more,  as  a  habit,  without 
injury,  five  or  six  cannot  endure  so  much.     Will 


HABITS  IN  THE   STUDY.  229 

students  never  learn  but  by  tbe  destruction  of  their 
health,  that  it  is  much  better  to  leave  off  study, 
while  their  minds  continue  elastic,  and  their  animal 
spirits  unwearied;  than,  for  the  sake  of  gaining  a  few 
hours,  to  run  the  risk  of  a  prostration  of  strength, 
which  may  exclude  them  from  their  books  for  years; 
and  deprive  them  of  all  comfortable  health  for  the 
remainder  of  life  ? 

23.  Never  study  much  by  candle-light.  Be- 
gin with  the  dawn  of  day;  and  improve  every 
moment  of  daylight  that  you  can  secure.  But  be 
extremely  cautious  of  night-studies.  1  have  known 
them  to  have  injured  incurably  the  eyes  and  the  gene- 
ral health  of  many  unwary  students,  before  they 
apprehended  the  least  danger.  Indeed  study  to  a  lute 
hour  at  night,  ought  never  to  be  indulged  at  all,  by 
any  one  who  values  his  health.  Two  hours'  sleep 
before  midnight,  are  worth  three,  if  not  four  after  it. 
And  he  who  frequently  allows  himself  to  remain  at 
his  studies  after  eleven  o'clock  in  the  evening,  is  pro- 
bably laying  up  in  store  for  himself  bitter  repentance. 

24.  Bevvare,  in  night  studies,  of  the  use  of  such 

LAMPS,  AS  BY  MEANS  OF  REFLECTORS,  POUR  AN  IN- 
TENSE LIGHT  ON    YOUR   BOOK    OR    PAPER.       Lamps    of 

this  kind,  while  they  undoubtedly  shield  the  eyes 
from  injury,  by  the  direct  rays  of  light,  which  is  the 
object  aimed  at;  are  apt  to  do  much  more  injury,  by 
rendering  the  reflected  light  more  vivid  and  dazzling. 
In  fact,  instead  of  protecting  or  favouring  the  eyes, 
they  are  calculated  to  impair  the  soundest  vision: 
and  have  proved,  in  many  cases,  extremely  hurtful. 
If  a  shade  be  used  at  all,  it  ought,  generally,  to  be 
placed  on  the  forehead  of  the  student,  so  as  to  project 


230  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

two  or  three  inches  like  the  brim  of  a  hat.  Indeed 
a  common  hat  itself  would  be  one  of  the  best  screens 
with  which  to  read,  at  night,  were  it  not  for  the 
danger  of  keeping  the  head  too  warm,  and  thus  lay- 
ing the  foundation  of  various  countervailing  evils. 

25.  Let  me  advise  you  to  do  all  your  writing 
IN  A  STANDING  POSTURE.  If  you  Write  at  a  common 
table,  the  probability  is,  that  you  will  contract  a 
crooked,  half  bent  mode  of  sitting,  which  will  mate- 
rially injure  your  health.  Writing  chairs  are  very 
much  in  vogue  with  many  students.  But  if  I  am 
not  greatly  deceived,  they  are  pestiferous  things, 
which  do  ten  times  as  much  injury  as  they  do  good. 
It  is  almost  impossible  to  write  on  them  without 
incurring  an  unequal  and  mischievous  pressure  on 
one  side.  Indeed,  a  gentleman,  of  much  experience 
and  observation,  lately  assured  me  that  he  had  pro- 
cured the  banishment  of  such  chairs  from  an  im- 
portant literary  institution  with  which  he  was  con- 
nected, on  account  of  the  serious  mischief  which  he 
had  found  them  produce  to  the  persons  and  general 
health  of  many  students.  If  you  write  standing  and 
guard  against  pressing  your  breast  bone  on  the  edge 
of  the  desk,  but  rest  altogether  on  your  arms,  I  am 
persuaded  you  will  find  it  a  method  attended  with 
fewer  inconveniences  and  dangers  than  any  other. 
On  this  plan,  no  part  of  the  body  is  in  a  constrained 
posture:  and  the  circulation  is  unobstructed.  Be- 
sides, if  you  read  sitting,  as  most  people  do,  it  will 
create  an  agreeable  variety,  if  you  rise  when  you 
begin  to  write. 

26.  Whenever  you  are  called  upon  to  make  par- 
ticular exertion  in  study,  let  it  always  be  accom- 


HABITS  IN  THE  STUDY.  231 

paniecl  with  special  abstemiousness  with  regard 
TO  FOOD.  Every  one  who  is  addicted  to  a  sedentary 
employment,  and  especially  a  student,  oiiglit  habitual- 
ly to  live  on  a  much  more  slender  diet  than  tliosc 
whose  occupations  are  more  active.  And  this  point 
demands  the  greater  attention  on  the  part  of  students, 
because,  with  many,  intense  application  to  study, 
instead  of  diminishing  the  appetite  for  food,  rather 
gives  it  an  additional  or  morbid  keenness.  So  that, 
at  such  a  season,  they  are  tempted  to  more  than 
common  indulgence  in  eating.  But  whenever  you 
find  it  necessary  to  make  a  mental  effort,  in  reading 
or  writing,  more  than  usually  severe  and  long  con- 
tinued, let  it  ever  be  accompanied  with  more  than 
usual  abstemiousness.  This  will  render  the  effort 
more  easy,  at  the  time,  and  less  exhausting  in  its 
effects.  It  will  impart  to  your  mind  a  serenity,  a 
vigour,  and  an  aptitude  for  exertion,  always  percepti- 
ble, and  often  delightful;  and  it  will  commonly 
enable  30U  to  perform  the  same  amount  of  work,  not 
only  better,  but  also  in  less  time.  It  is  true,  managing 
the  business  of  abstinence  requires  the  exercise  of 
much  caution  and  judgment.  If  carried  too  far,  it 
may  destroy  the  health:  but  this,  I  believe,  is  seldom 
done.  Every  one  who  is  wdse  enough  to  make  the 
experiment,  must  observe  and  judge  for  himself  how 
far  it  will  be  for  the  advantage  both  of  his  bodily  and 
mental  health  to  carry  it.  l?ut  I  am  very  confident 
that,  among  all  the  physical  auxiliaries  of  which  a 
student  may  avail  himself,  there  is  none  more  rational, 
or  more  potent  than  this. 

27.  You  must  not  think  me  whimsical,  if  I  tell 
you,  that  some  have  found  their  minds  more  active 


232  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

and  vigorous  in  consequence  of  putting  on  clean 

CLOTHES,    AND    ATTENDING     TO     CIRCUMSTANCES    OF 

PERSONAL  CLEANLINESS.  I  coultl  name  more  than 
one  minister,  who,  whenever  they  wish  to  make 
special  efforts,  wash  their  hands  and  face,  put  on  clean 
linen,  and  dress  themselves  as  if  for  company;  and 
declare  that  they  scarcely  ever  fail  to  find  sensible 
aid  from  this  preparation  for  study.  I  feel  no  diffi- 
culty in  believing  that  this  aid  is  more  than  imagi- 
nary. That  there  is  a  close  connexion  between  the 
body  and  the  mind  we  all  know.  And  that  he  who 
wishes  to  study  to  advantage,  will  find  his  object 
promoted  by  every  thing  which  removes  defilement, 
obstruction,  oppression,  or  any  kind  of  discomfort 
from  his  body,  would  seem  to  be  one  of  the  most 
rational  conclusions. 

28.  While  I  think  it  proper  to  tlirow  out  these 
hints,  which  may  possibly  promote  your  comfort, 
when  you  are  called  to  make  special  eflforts  in  study; 
I  consider  it  as  my  duty,  at  the  same  time,  to  put 
you  on  your  guard  against  one  mistake,  which  to  a 
minister  of  the  gospel,  may  be  a  serious  one.  I 
refer  to  the  popular  notion  among  many  students, 
that  men  of  genius  can  work,  and  ought  to  attempt 
to  work,  only  at  those  seasons  which  they  call 
seasons  of  inspii'atioii.  That  is,  seasons  in  which 
their  minds  are  in  a  state  of  peculiar  alertness,  and 
aptitude  for  intellectual  labour.  I  am  far  from  deny- 
ing that  there  are  such  seasons,  with  most  men, 
perhaps  with  all  men;  and  have  no  doubt  that  with 
some,  they  are  much  more  strongly  marked  than 
with  others.  When  they  do  occur,  there  is  no  ques- 
tion that  everv  one  is  bound  to  make  the  most  of 


HABITS  IN  THE   STUDY.  233 

them.  But  what  I  deny  is,  that  theological  students, 
or  ministers  of  the  gospel,  ought,  in  ordinary  cases, 
to  luait  for  such  seasons.  Time  is  too  short,  and 
souls  too  precious  for  this.  With  them,  the  neces- 
sity for  intellectual  labour  occurs,  not  only  statedly^ 
but  almost  constantly.  If  their  work  be  done  at 
all,  it  must  be  generally  done  within  a  given  number 
of  hours;  and  this  must  be  the  habit  of  their  lives. 
It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  them,  therefore,  that 
they  be,  as  much  as  possible,  at  all  times  ready  for 
their  appropriate  labour.  And  although  it  is  certain 
that  they  will  not  be,  at  all  times,  in  a  state  of  feeling 
equally  favourable  to  either  intellectual  or  bodily 
effort;  yet  the  effort  ought  not,  in  common,  to  be 
forborne  on  that  account.  And,  after  all,  if  you 
conduct  your  studies  in  a  judicious  manner,  as  to 
plans  and  hours;  and,  especially,  if  you  practise  with 
Avisdom,  that  occasional,  and  even  habitual  abstemious- 
ness, which  I  recommended  in  a  preceding  section, 
rely  upon  it,  your  seasons  of  inspiration  will  occur 
much  more  frequently  than  you  suppose,  or  than 
liberal  feeders  commonly  experience. 

29.  Make  a  point  of  keeping  every  thing  in 

YOUR     STUDY     IN     A     STATE     OF    PERFECT     NEATNESS 

AND  REGULARITY.  "Whether  your  books  be  few  or 
many,  keep  them  in  their  places,  and  in  perfect  order. 
Let  all  your  manuscripts  be  so  arranged  as  that  you 
shall  be  able  to  lay  your  hand  upon  any  one  of  them 
in  a  moment.  Tie  your  pamphlets  in  bundles,  in  a 
certain  order  undei^stood  by  yourself,  and  as  soon  as 
possible,  get  them  bound  in  convenient  volumes. 
Fold,  label,  and  deposite  in  proper  drawers,  all  loose 
papers,  so  as  to  be  at  no  loss  to  find  any  one  of  theni 


234  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

whenever  called  for.  And,  in  general,  let  every  thing 
in  your  study  bear  the  marks  of  order,  system,  and 
perfect  neatness.  You  can  have  no  conception,  with- 
out having  made  the  experiment,  how  much  time  and 
trouble  will  be  saved  by  this  plan.  When  you  are 
tempted  to  think,  that  you  have  not  time  to  put  a 
book  or  paper  v/hich  you  have  been  using  into  its 
proper  place,  ask  yourself,  whether  3'ou  will  probably 
find  it  convenient  a  week,  or  a  month  afterwards,  to 
spend  an  hour  in  searching  for  that,  which  half  a 
minute  would  have  sufficed  for  depositing  in  its  ap- 
propriate situation  ?  Let  me  advise  you  also  to  pre- 
serve and  file  copies  of  all  your  important  letters; 
and  where  you  cannot  find  time  for  this,  to  keep,  at 
least,  a  distinct  memorandum  of  the  dates,  principal 
contents,  conveyance,  &c.,  of  all  such  letters.  You 
will,  in  the  end,  save  more  time  by  this  regularity 
than  you  can  now  easily  imagine. 

30.  With  one  more  counsel  I  shall  close  this  letter; 
and  that  I  am  more  at  a  loss  to  frame  in  a  satisfactory 
manner  than  any  of  the  preceding.     It  is  that  you 

ENDEAVOUR  TO  GUARD  AGAINST  THOSE  INCESSANT 
INTERRUPTIONS    OP    STUDY    BY    COMPANY,    which,  UU- 

less  you  take  measures  to  prevent,  will  not  fail  to 
consume  a  large  part  of  your  time,  and  often  to  dis- 
tress you  exceedingly.  I  have  more  than  hinted  at 
this  subject  in  a  former  letter.  But  it  is  one  of  those, 
the  evil  of  which,  I  fear,  even  "  line  upon  line"  will 
not  be  sufficient  to  obviate.  Whether  you  consider 
your  comfort  or  your  improvement,  you  ought,  un- 
doubtedly, to  take  hold  of  this  matter  with  a  firm 
hand.  Some  of  the  students  of  the  seminary  are  so 
extremely  modest,  that  when  a  number  of  their  fel- 


HABITS  IN  THE  STUDY.  235 

low  students  drop  into  their  rooms,  one  after  another, 
and  divert  them  from  study  for  four  or  five  hours 
together,  they  cannot  summon  rcsohition  enough  to 
give  the  least  hint  of  the  distress  which  it  occasions 
them;  hut  perhaps  sit  several  hours,  in  a  state  little 
short  of  agony,  submitting  to  the  encroachments  of 
those  reckless  intruders,  who,  instead  of  interrupting 
others,  ought  themselves  to  be  busy.  There  are  va- 
rious ways  of  shaking  off  these  marauders  on  the 
time  of  honest  people.  One  is,  as  I  stated  in  a  former 
letter,  to  lock  your  door,  and  be  deaf  to  all  their 
knocking.  Another  is,  from  the  moment  they  seat 
themselves,  to  maintain  a  rigid  silence;  or,  at  least,  to 
answer  them  only  in  monosyllables.  A  third  plan  is, 
as  soon  as  any  unseasonable  visiter  sits  down,  to  begin 
to  converse  with  him  on  the  study  in  which  you  hap- 
pen to  be  engaged;  to  ply  him  vigorously  wath  ques- 
tions in  relation  to  it,  which  shall  put  to  a  severe  test 
his  own  acquaintance  with  it.  I  once  knew  a  young 
man  who  adopted  this  method,  and  wlio  resisted 
every  attempt  to  change  the  subject;  and  he  very 
seldom  failed  to  clear  his  apartment  of  loungers. 
But,  even  all  these,  _some  are  thoughtless,  or  iron 
hearted  enough  not  to  regard.  With  such,  the  only 
effectual  resort  seems  to  be  to  state,  in  so  many 
words,  the  urgency  of  your  engagements,  and  your 
wish  to  be  left  alone.  One  advantage  of  taking  strong 
measures,  in  the  outset,  on  this  subject,  will  be,  that, 
by  such  measures,  your  fellow  students  will  most 
speedily  learn  your  cue  in  reference  to  the  matter  in 
question,  and  soon  cease  to  give  you  trouble.  The 
remedy  may  be  painful;  but  it  will  be  likely  to  effect 
the  most  expeditious  and  complete  cure. 


LETTER    IX, 


Take  fast  hold  of  instruction ;  let  her  not  go :  for  she  is  thy  life. 

Prov.  iv,  13. 


HABITS  IN  THE  LECTURE-ROOM. 

My  dear  young  fuiend, 

It  may  be  supposed,  at  first  view,  that  the  deport- 
ment of  a  student  in  the  lecture-room,  might  well  be 
left  to  instructions  and  correctives  applied  on  the 
spot.  When  the  student  is  immediately  under  the 
eye  of  the  professor,  and  in  a  situation  in  which  a 
gentle  hint  or  admonition  may  be  instantly  directed 
to  the  occurrence  which  is  supposed  to  demand  it; 
where,  it  may  be  asked,  is  the  necessity  of  laying 
down  a  set  of  formal  counsels  on  paper  ?  I  have  two 
reasons  for  not  passing  over  this  part  of  my  subject 
without  particular  notice. 

One  reason  is,  that  to  a  professor  who  has  the  least 
delicacy  of  feeling,  it  is  always  painful  to  admonish 
an  ingenuous  and  pious  youth  of  any  aberration  from 
strict  propriety,  in  the  presence  of  his  companions. 
Such  an  admonition,  however  well  intended,  and  well 
administered,  may  inflict  a  deep  wound  on  the  feel- 
ings of  him  who  receives  it.  And  if,  to  avoid  this 
evil,  it  be  administered  in  private,  one  of  its  most 


HABITS  IN  THE   LECTUKE-ROOM.  237 

valuable  benefits  is  lost;  viz.  tbat  of  pultinp;  others 
on  their  guard  against  a  similar  faull. 

But  a  second  and  still  stronger  reason  is,  that  it  is 
much  better,  if  possible,  io  p7'e7;ent  such  fiiults  from 
occurring,  than  to  correct  them  when  committed. 
My  object  is,  not  to  wait  until  I  see  improprieties, 
inadvertently,  or  otherwise  indulged,  and  then  to 
apply  the  corrective;  but  to  put  conscientious  young- 
men  on  their  guard,  beforehand,  against  indulging 
them,  and  thus  obviate  the  necessity  of  inflicting  pain 
on  either  side. 

You  must  not  suppose,  from  the  aggregate  of  these 
counsels,  that  I  have  been  accustomed  to  see  the  fre- 
quent occurrence  of  ill-breeding  or  disorder  in  our 
lecture-rooms.  Far  from  it.  On  the  contrar}^,  the 
remarkable  infrequency  of  any  call  for  animadversion, 
or  the  slightest  form  of  discipline  in  our  Institution, 
now  in  the  fifteenth  A'ear  of  its  course,  has  been  a 
source  of  peculiar  satisfaction,  and,  I  hope,  an  occa- 
sion of  cordial  thankfulness.  \^  there  are  theologi- 
cal students  of  cultivated  minds,  and  of  unfeigned 
piety,  who  bring  with  them,  from  college,  or  from  the 
academy,  certain  habits  in  the  lecture-room,  which, 
though  not  criminal,  are  some  of  them  unseemly,  and 
all  disadvantageous;  and  of  which,  from  mere  incon- 
sideration,  or  inexperience,  they  see  not  the  evil. 
A  few  of  those  ha])its  I  wish  to  point  out,  and  lo  place 
in  the  light  in  which  much  observation  convinces  me 
they  ought  to  be  contemplated. 

I  am  the  more  disposed  to  consider  some  of  these 
habits  in  detail,  because  the  correction  of  them  now, 
will  be  of  use  to  you  througiiout  life.  Similar  im-. 
proprieties  may  be  indulged  in  other  places  besides 


238  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

the  lecture-room;  and  the  spirit  of  my  remarks  will 
apply  to  all  situations  and  practices  analogous  to  those 
which  are  noticed  in  detail. 

1.  Never  allow  yourself  to  be  absent  from  a 

LECTURE,  WHEN  YOU  CAN  POSSIBLY  AVOID  IT.       Some 

students,  who  mean  to  be  attentive  and  regular,  are 
occasionally  induced,  by  insufficient  causes,  to  absent 
themselves  entirely  from  the  lecture-room,  when 
they  ought  to  be  there.  An  interruption  of  company ; 
the  slightest  indisposition;  a  party  of  pleasure;  the 
writing  of  a  letter,  which  might  be  postponed;  a  fit 
of  drowsiness;  and  even  the  fascination  of  a  new 
book,  are  allowed,  each  in  its  turn,  to  detain  them 
from  being  present  when  some  important  exercise  in 
their  course  is  passed.  From  causes  of  this  kind, 
I  have  known  students  to  miss  seven  or  eight  lec- 
tures during  a  single  session.  And  more  than  once 
it  unfortunately  happened,  that  a  portion  of  the  lec- 
tures thus  lost,  was,  precisely,  the  most  radical  and 
indispensable  of  the  whole  number,  the  loss  of  which, 
imposed  upon  them  the  most  serious  disadvantage 
through  all  that  came  afterwards.  In  fact,  the  loss  of 
one  lecture  may  be  productive  of  evil  not  easily 
calculated.  Now,  no  student  can  possibly  know, 
beforehand,  when  this  may  be  the  case;  and  very 
unjust  is  he,  both  to  himself  and  his  teacher,  who 
ever  allows  himself  to  miss  a  lecture  at  which  it  is 
possible  for  him  to  be  present. 

2.  Make  a  point  of  appearing  in  the  lecture 

ROOM,    at    the     prescribed    TIME,    WITH     PERFECT 

punctuality.  Let  no  company,  engagement,  or 
obstacle  of  any  kind,  short  of  absolute  necessity, 
prevent  this.     The  evils  of  coming  late  to  a  lecture 


HABITS  IN  THE  LECTURE-ROOM.  239 

are  numerous.  He  who  docs  so,  of  course,  loses  the 
prayer,  which  precedes  every  exercise  in  the  semi- 
nary; a  loss,  which,  by  the  pious  mind,  will  not  be 
deemed  small.  He  also  loses,  I  need  not  add,  all 
that  part  of  the  lecture  which  is  delivered  before  he 
enters  the  room.  Now,  this  part  may  be  essential  to 
the  right  understanding  of  all  that  follows;  so  that 
to  lose  it  is,  in  effect,  to  lose  the  whole.  But  this  is 
not  all.  The  student,  by  entering  the  apartment 
after  a  lecture  is  begun,  disturbs  his  fellow  students, 
by  diverting  their  attention;  by  the  noise  which 
unavoidably  attends  his  coming  in,  and  seating  him- 
self; and  perhaps,  by  whispering  to  his  nearest 
neighbour,  to  ascertain  what  the  subject  is,  under 
discussion,  and  what  has  been  said.  He  also  disturbs 
the  professor,  by  the  noise  which  attends  his  entrance, 
and  by  forcing  on  his  mind  the  painful  impression, 
that  there  is  at  least  one  of  his  hearers,  who,  from 
ignorance  of  what  has  gone  before,  cannot  possibly 
go  with  him,  satisfactorily  and  fully,  in  what  is  to 
follow.  This  is  so  important  a  matter,  that  I  must 
beg  your  attention  to  it  with  peculiar  emphasis. 
Invariably  make  such  calculations  as  will  enable  you 
to  be  present  several  minutes  before,  rather  than  a 
single  minute  after  the  proper  time.  In  truth,  I 
have  been  so  painfully  impressed  with  the  mischiefs 
resulting  from  a  late  attendance  on  any  exercises  of 
tlie  seminary,  that  I  have  often  sincerely  wished,  if 
a  student  did  not  enter  before  the  first  sentence  of 
the  lecture  were  delivered,  he  might  not  come  at  all. 
In  some  cases,  indeed,  it  may  be  otherwise;  but  in 
many  others,  such  would  be  my  deliberate  opinion. 
I  should  do  injustice  to  you,  and  to  the  subject,  if 


240  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

I  did  not  add,  that  all  my  experience  in  this  institu- 
tion enables  me  to  say,  that — almost  without  excep- 
tion— those  students  who  have  been  most  honourably 
distinguished  for  talents,  mature  knowledge,  decision 
of  character,  and  subsequent  usefulness  in  the  minis- 
try, have  manifested  a  degree  of  punctuality  in 
relation  to  this  matter  truly  remarkable. 

3.  If  you  would  acquire  the  virtue  of  entire  punc- 
tuality in  your  attendance  on  the  exercises  of  the 
seminary,  you  must  learn  the  important  art  of  dis- 
cussing   INTRUSIVE    COMPANY  WITHOUT    CEREMONY. 

This  is  a  hard  lesson  to  learn  for  a  young  and  modest 
man;  but  he  must  learn  it  if  he  would  discharge  his 
duty  as  a  public  man;  and  the  sooner  he  begins  to 
reduce  it  to  practice  the  better.  You  will  often  be 
visited  by  those  who  have  nothing  to  do  themselves, 
and  who,  of  course,  will  not  be  apt  to  recollect  that 
you  ought  to  be  busy.  Endeavour  to  acquire  that 
decision  of  character  which  will  enable  you,  gently, 
but  firmly,  to  dismiss  such  persons,  when  the  hour 
for  lecture  arrives.  What  can  be  more  reasonable 
than  to  say  to  such  a  visiter,  when  the  bell  rings — 
"  That  is  my  signal,  Sir;  you  will  have  the  goodness 
to  excuse  me  ?" — Whether  you  wish  to  discharge 
present  duty,  or  to  form  a  habit,  the  value  of  which 
will  be  developed  in  after  life,  the  gain  will  far  more 
than  counterbalance  all  the  irksome  feeling,  or  social 
loss,  which  may  attend  the  dismission. 

4.  There  is  one  practice  in  the  seminary,  which 
very  often  interferes  with  punctual  attendance  on  the 
exercises  of  the  institution.  I  refer  to  the  practice 
of  the  more  advanced  students,  who  may  be  licensed 
to  preach  several  months  before  they  leave  us; — and 


HABITS  IN  THE   LECTURE-ROOM.  241 

who,  in  many  cases,  make  engagements  to  preach 
which  very  materially  interfere,  from  time  to  time, 
with  their  appropriate  duties  as  students.  This  is  a 
mischievous  practice.  There  is,  indeed,  a  real  ad- 
vantage in  the  pupils  of  the  seminary  being  licensed 
a  short  time  before  the  com])lction  of  their  course, 
that  they  may  have  an  opportunity  of  actually  ap- 
pearing in  the  pulpit,  in  the  presence  of  their  pro- 
fessors, and  fellow-students,  and  receiving  their 
friendly  remarks.  But  when  such  licentiates  have 
so  little  firmness  of  mind  as  to  yield  to  every  solici- 
tation to  preach,  and  thereby  to  break  in  frequently 
on  their  proper  engagements  in  the  seminary,  their 
license  is  worse  than  useless;  and  the  privilege  which 
it  gives  ought  rather  to  be  deprecated  than  coveted 
by  a  diligent  student. 

5.  Never  allow  yourself  to  enter  the  lecture-room 
IN  A  slovenly  dress; — in  any  dress  in  which  you 
might  not  appear  decently  in  the  street.  If  I  mistake 
not,  you  have  sometimes  seen  very  worthy  students 
appear  among  their  companions  in  that  kind  of 
striking  deshabille  which  might  have  been  expected 
if  they  had  five  minutes  before  quitted  their  beds. 
There  is  something  in  this  kind  of  appearance  by  no 
means  respectful,  either  to  their  fellow-students,  or 
their  professors.  I  am  far  from  being  pleased  to  see 
theological  students  fond  of  elegance,  or  even  of  for- 
mality, in  their  dress.  Decent  neatness  is  all  I  ask. 
But  surely  this  may  be  demanded  whenever  they 
come  together  to  attend  on  any  public  duty.  Be- 
sides the  considerations  already  suggested,  they 
know  not  but  that,  on  such  an  occasion,  several 
strangers  may  be  present,  who  may  receive  an  im- 

V 


242  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

pression  concerning  the  seminary  in  general,  from 
the  appearance  of  two  or  three  individuals  among  the 
pupils. 

6.  While  you  are  in  the  lecture-room  let  your 

ATTENTION    BE    CLOSELY    AND     IMMOVEABLT    FIXED 

UPON  ALL  THAT  IS  SAID  AND  DONE.  Some  theological 
students  are  so  inconsiderate  as  to  allow  themselves 
to  bring  to  the  seminary  the  habit,  in  reference  to 
this  point,  which  they  unwisely  formed  at  college, 
or  at  the  academy;  I  mean  the  habit  of  considering 
themselves  as  not  pai'ticularly  interested  in  any  thing 
that  passes,  excepting  that  which  is  immediately  ad- 
dressed to  themselves.  Nothing  but  the  strangest 
want  of  reflection  can  tolerate  such  a  thought,  or  the 
habit  which  flows  from  it.  Surely  every  member  of 
a  class  is  just  as  much  interested  in  every  thing 
which  drops  from  the  lips  of  the  professor,  as  he  who 
is  immediately  interrogated,  or  addressed.  Every 
question  that  is  asked;  every  answer  that  is  given; 
every  difficulty  that  is  solved;  and  every  mistake 
that  is  committed  or  corrected,  may  be  considered 
as  the  property  of  all  alike;  as  equally  calling  for 
the  attention  of  all;  and  as  worthy,  if  possessed  of 
any  value,  of  being  equally  treasured  up  by  all.  In 
short,  a  mind  awake,  active,  and  eager,  in  the  lan- 
guage of  Solomon,  to  take  fast  hold  of  instruction, 
and  let  none  of  it  go,  will  derive  advantage  from 
every  word  that  is  uttered  in  the  lecture-room, 
whether  directed  immediately  to  himself  or  to  his 
companions.  He  will  turn  it  all  to  gold;  and  make 
it  redound,  in  some  way,  to  the  great  cause  of  his 
improvement. 

If  every  student  were  aware  of  the  importance  of 


HABITS  IN  THE  LECTURE-ROOM.  243 

this  counsel,  wc  should  not  be  ])ained  ])y  those  cases 
of  evident  absence  of  mind,  wliich  often  occur;  and 
those  instances  of  lan|2;uor,  drowsiness,  and  even 
occasional  slumber,  which  have  been  sometimes  wit- 
nessed. We  should  see  every  one  appearing  to  forget 
every  thing  else,  in  his  all-absorbing  attention  to  the 
subject  immediately  before  him.  And  even  when 
the  remarks  of  the  lecturer  were  not  either  as  weighty 
or  as  interesting  as  might  be  wished,  such  a  band  of 
listening  auditors  as  I  have  sometimes  seen,  by  their 
eager  looks,  their  pertinent  questions,  and  their  in- 
telligent inferences,  might  animate  dulness  itself,  and 
educe  rich  instruction  from  a  lecture  which  scarcely 
rose  even  to  mediocrity  of  character. 

7.  It  is  a  bad  practice  to  indulge  in  any  kind  of 
READING  during  a  lecture.  One  of  the  rules  of  our 
seminary,  indeed,  absolutely  prohibits  all  reading 
during  any  recitation  or  lecture,  excepting  that  which 
relates  immediately  to  the  subject  under  considera- 
tion. But  I  am  more  and  more  persuaded  that  no 
one  ought  ever  to  avail  himself  even  of  this  excep- 
tion: for  it  is  manifest  that  no  one  can  read  a  book 
on  the  same  subject  on  which  a  lecture  is  proceeding, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  attend  to  the  lecturer.  And  if 
the  pupil  delii)erately  prefer  the  former  to  the  latter, 
he  had  better  be  in  his  own  apartment,  employed  in 
reading  alone,  than  place  himself  in  circumstances  in 
which  neither  reading  nor  hearing  can  be  enjoyed  to 
the  best  advantage.  As  to  the  cases  which  now  and 
then  occur,  in  which  something  entirely  foreign  from 
the  subject  of  the  lecture  is  read,  it  is  such  a  direct 
violation  of  the  law  of  the  seminary,  and  such  a 
piece   of  disrespect  to  the  professor  who  may  hap- 


244  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

pen  to  fill  the  chair,  that  no  conscientious  or  well- 
bred  student,  who  reflected  a  moment  what  he  was 
about,  could  possibly  allow  himself  to  be  guilty  of  a 
single  act  of  the  kind,  much  less  to  indulge  in  the 
practice. 

8.    All    PRIVATE    CONVERSATION,    OR    WHISPERING, 

during  a  lecture,  is  a  violation  of  good  manners,  as 
well  as  an  infraction  of  an  express  law  of  the  insti- 
tution with  which  you  are  connected.  I  have  known 
some  students,  who  had  an  infirmity  of  this  kind, 
which  appeared  altogether  invincible.  They  seemed 
not  to  be  capable  of  sitting  five  minutes  in  the  lecture- 
room  without  whispering  to  all  whom  they  were 
near  enough  to  annoy  in  this  manner.  Whether  they 
approved  or  disapproved,  comprehended,  or  were 
unable  to  comprehend,  what  was  said,  it  was  equally 
the  subject  of  this  private  communication.  Some- 
times, however,  it  had  a  respect  to  matters  altogether 
foreign  from  those  of  the  lecture.  The  mischiefs  of 
such  a  practice  are  serious.  It  is  manifest  that  while 
the  individual  is  whispering  to  his  neighbour,  he 
cannot  possibly  attend  to  what  is  uttering,  at  the 
moment,  from  the  professor's  chair.  It  is  also  mani- 
fest, that  the  neighbour  whom  he  addresses,  is  equally 
taken  off,  during  the  same  time,  from  that  attention 
which  is  due  to  his  instructor.  Now  the  sentence, 
or  sentences,  thus  lost,  may  be  essential  to  a  con- 
nected view  of  the  subject.  Of  course,  both  the 
whisperer,  and  the  unfortunate  whisperee,  on  such 
occasions,  will  be  likely  to  understand  it  very  imper- 
fectly, to  say  the  least.  Accordingly,  I  have  always 
remarked,  as  a  general  fact,  that  your  habitual  whis- 
perers were  the  poorest  students  in  the  classes  la 


HABITS  IN  THE  LECTURE-ROOM.  245 

which  they  belonged;  and  that,  when  the  day  of 
examination  came,  they  were  seldom  found  to  under- 
stand with  accuracy  any  subject  which  was  brought 
before  them. 

As  to  the  pain  which  this  practice  cannot  fail  to 
give  to  the  lecturer  himself,  I  forbear  to  urge  it;  as  a 
student  whose  feelings  allow  him  to  commit  such  an 
indelicacy,  will  not  be  likely  to  pay  much  respect  to 
those  of  a  professor.  Yet  such  pain  will  inevitably 
be  inflicted  on  the  mind  of  a  conscientious  man,  who 
is  really  interested  in  the  improvement  of  his  pupils. 

Some  who  do  not  whisper,  do  worse.  They  scrib- 
ble on  pieces  of  paper  what  they  have  to  say;  hand 
them  to  the  individuals  whom  they  wish  to  address; 
and  solicit  from  them  answers  in  the  same  manner. 
This  is  worse,  because  it  takes  up  more  time,  on  both 
sides,  to  write  a  sentence,  than  it  would  to  utter  it 
orally;  and,  of  course,  to  accomplish  every  such  com- 
munication, a  larger  amount  of  attention  must  be 
withdrawn  from  the  appropriate  duty  of  the  hour. 

Never  allow  yourself,  therefore,  on  any  occasion 
whatever,  either  to  whisper,  or  to  circulate  billets, 
in  the  lecture-room,  unless  in  a  case  of  absolute  ne- 
cessity. In  forty-nine  cases  out  of  fifty,  what  is 
communicated  in  this  way,  might  just  as  well  be  left 
until  tlie  lecture  is  ended;  and  the  inability  to  wait, 
almost  always  arises  either  from  weakness  of  judg- 
ment, or  puerile  impatience.  Not  only  avoid  doing 
any  thing  of  this  kind  yourself;  but  do  not  allow 
others  to  whisper,  or  to  hand  billets  to  yoii.  If  any 
make  the  attempt,  repel  it,  by  saying — "  I  wish  to 
attend  to  the  lecture." 

9.  Some  who  do  not  allow  themselves  to  whisper, 
v" 


246  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

are  in  the  habit  of  frequently  winking,  nodding,  or 
SMILING,  to  one  or  more  of  those  around  them,  to 
express  either  their  approbation  or  their  doubt,  of 
something  which  has  been  said.  I  liave  known  this 
to  be  so  much  the  habit  of  a  few  students,  who  have, 
at  different  periods,  passed  through  our  seminary, 
that  they  rendered  themselves  really  conspicuous  by 
it.  They  no  doubt  meant  that  it  should  be  considered 
as  a  mark  of  attention  and  talent;  but  I  believe  it 
seldom  failed  to  receive  a  very  different  construction 
on  the  part  of  all  sober-minded  observers.  As  the 
practice  in  question  is  chargeable  with  most  of  the 
evils  mentioned  in  the  preceding  section,  I  shall  not 
repeat  the  detail:  but  would  observe  that  he  who 
wishes  to  avail  himself  most  completely  of  all  the 
advantages  of  the  lecture-room,  ought  to  learn  the  art 
of  sitting,  with  fixed  attention,  and  unmoved  counte- 
nance, throughout  the  whole  of  its  exercises,  and  of 
giving  no  encouragement,  even  by  look,  or  by  the 
least  response  of  the  favourable  kind,  to  those  who 
act  a  different  part. 

10.  Never  place  yourself  in  the  lecture-room  in 
A  lounging  OR  RECLINING  POSTURE.  There  are 
those  who,  though  enjoying  all  the  vigour  of  youth 
and  health,  appear  never  to  be  easy  a  moment  but 
when  in  a  posture  partly  recumbent.  If  they  be 
seated  on  a  bench,  or  any  seat  which  admits  of  it, 
they  raise  their  feet,  and  place  them  horizontally,  and 
even  stretch  themselves  at  full  length,  as  if  preparing 
for  a  nap.  Can  any  one  who  reflects  a  moment  fail 
of  perceiving  that  this  manifests  ill-breeding  of  a 
pretty  gross  kind?  There  are  few  cases  in  which  any 
one  ought  to  allow  himself  to  sit,  or  rather  lie,  in 


HABITS  IN  THE  LECTURE-ROOM.  247 

such  a  posture,  in  the  midst  of  his  equals  only;  but 
to  do  it  in  the  presence  of  any  one  whom  he  regards 
as  his  superior,  is  really  an  outrage  on  decorum.  If 
you  suppose  that  I  go  too  far  in  this  statement,  rely 
on  it,  you  altogether  mistake.  It  is  universally  so 
viewed  by  well-bred  people.  And  you  may  rest 
assured  that  gentlemen  whose  good  opinion  you 
would  think  worth  possessing,  have  severely  remark- 
ed on  some  few  instances  which  they  have  personally 
witnessed  of  the  unseemly  postures  to  which  I  refer. 
Learn,  then,  at  all  times,  and  quite  as  rigidly  in  the 
lecture-room  as  in  the  parlour,  to  sit  upright,  and  in 
ihe  posture  of  respectful  attention.  Decorum  to 
your  companions,  and  especially  to  the  professor  who 
may  be  addressing  you,  requires  it;  a  regard  to  your 
heallh  requires  it;  a  proper  care  to  avoid  drowsiness 
requires  it.  Whenever  a  young  man  finds  that  to  be 
comfortable  he  must  lean,  and  lounge,  and  find  some 
support  for  his  back,  and  his  feet,  it  is  high  time  to 
feel  that  his  habits  call  for  immediate  and  resolute 
correction, 

11.  Closely  allied  to  the  foregoing  faults  is  another, 
which  I  have  often  observed  with  pain: — I  mean  the 
habit  of  LEANING  FORWARD,  whilo  seated  in  the 
lecture-room,  and  resting  the  head  on  the  back 

OF  A  chair,    or     bench,    IN     FRONT,    AS    IF    FOR    THE 

PURPOSE  OF  SLEEP.  When  you  place  yourself  in 
this  posture,  you  will  be  apt,  contrary  to  your  own 
intention,  to  be  betrayed  into  drowsiness.  Even  if 
this  consequence  do  not  follow,  your  fellow-students 
know  not  but  that  you  are  sleeping.  And  your  pro- 
fessor must,  of  course,  be  subjected  to  the  pain  of 
doubting  whether  at  least  one  of  his  auditory  be  not 


248  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

insensible  to  all  he  is  saying.  Can  this  be  right  ill' 
itself,  to  say  nothing  of  the  point  of  etiquette,  as 
established  among  well-bred  people?  If  I  even  had 
a  severe  headach,  I  would  refrain  from  this  practice. 
It  looks  so  much  like  the  vulgar  lolling  of  a  school- 
boy, or  a  college-lad,  who  has  neither  sufficient  in- 
tellect, nor  sufficient  respect  for  himself  or  for  any 
other  person,  to  make  him  a  listener,  arrectis  auri- 
bus,  to  that  which  is  delivered. 

12.  When  any  thing  is  dropped  by  a  professor,  in 
the  course  of  a  lecture,  which  is  supposed  to  mili- 
tate WITH  THE  OPINIONS  OF  SOME  PUPIL  PRESENT, 
RECEIVE     IT     WITH     GRAVITY     AND     WITH     A     FIXED 

COUNTENANCE.  If,  instead  of  this,  there  be  smiling, 
tittering,  a  dozen  turning  round  at  the  same  instant, 
to  see  how  the  pupil  in  question  looks  and  appears  to 
feel — as  is  sometimes  the  case  among  ardent  and 
inexperienced  young  men, — there  is  a  manifest  and 
gross  indelicacy,  which,  on  a  variety  of  accounts, 
ought  to  be  avoided.  It  is  ill  treatment  to  the  pro- 
fessor himself,  who  may  not  have  intended  the 
application  thus  unceremoniously  made.  It  may  be 
deeply  embarrassingand  painful  to  an  ingenuous  pupil.. 
And  it  exhibits  those  who  indulge  in  it,  as  borne  away 
by  an  undignified  puerility,  altogether  unworthy  of 
their  character.  Allow  me  again  to  say,  that  learning 
the  habit  of  maintaining,  on  all  such  occasions,  a 
composed  and  grave  countenance,  is  of  no  small  im- 
portance in  the  formation  of  clerical  manners. 

13.  When  called  upon  to  make  remarks  on  the 
production  of  a  fellow-student  in  the  lecture-room, 

DO  IT  WITH  PERFECT  FREEDOM,  BUT  WITH  RE- 
SPECTFULNESS AND  GRAVITY.     If  you  havc  occasion 


HAUITS  IN  THE  LECTURE-ROOM.  249 

to  make  a  remark  of  tlic  unfavoiiraljlc  kind,  let  it  be 
couched,  as  far  as  is  consistent  vvilli  candour,  in  kind 
•  and  brotherly  language.  Pause  a  moment  before  you 
offer  it,  and  ask  this  ciucstion — "Is  the  criticism 
which  I  am  about  to  offer,  intended  to  display  my- 
self^ ov  to  benefit  my  brother?"  "flow  sliould  I 
feel,  if  it  were  made  in  reference  to  myself?"  If 
you  arc  conscious  that  it  would  wound  your  own 
feelings,  do  not,  in  ordinary  cases,  allow  yourself  to 
utter  it.  Not  that  wc  are  to  resolve  never  to  give 
pain.  It  is  sometimes  unavoidable,  if  we  would  be 
faitliful.  But  it  should  never  be  inflicted  unnecessa- 
rily; never  more  severely  than  is  indispensable  to 
the  performance  of  duty;  and  ahvays  with  as  many 
characteristics  of  studied  gentleness  and  benevolence 
as  perfect  honesty  will  permit. 

14.  Never  allow  yourself,  on  account  of  any  ordi- 
nary avocation,  to  withdraw  from  the  lecture- 
room,  until  the  whole  exercise  shall  have  been  com- 
pleted. There  is  a  disposition  in  many  conscientious 
young  men  so  to  magnify  the  importance  of  trifles, 
which  attract  their  attention,  from  day  to  day,  and 
so  to  indulge  the  impatience  which  is  apt  to  charac- 
terize that  season  of  life,  that  they  are  constantly 
hurrying  from  one  engagement  to  another,  and  often 
do  not  allow  themselves  to  complete  one,  before  they 
begin  to  run  after  another;  so  that  they  never  gain 
the  full  benefit  of  any.  This  is  a  wretclied  habit, 
calculated  to  shed  a  baleful  influence  over  the 
whole  course  of  study,  and,  indeed,  over  the  whole 
professional  life.  The  admirable  maxim  of  the  old 
Pensioner,  De  Will,  to  ^^  do  one  thing  at  a  time^'' 
is  of  inestimable  value.     Act  on  the  spirit  of  it  con- 


250  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

tinually;  that  is,  be  totally  absorbed  in  your  employ- 
ment, for  the  time  being,  whatever  it  may  be,  and 
never  leave  it  till  it  is  completely  and  well  done." 
Your  studies  will  then  be  mature  and  profitable,  and 
the  results  bear  that  solid,  practical  character,  which 
incessant  haste,  and  habits  of  immethodical  and  de- 
sultory attention,  never  can  produce.  Let  it  be  your 
fixed  habit,  then,  never  to  quit  the  lecture-room  until 
its  exercises  are  fully  closed.  If  the  instructions 
there  delivered,  be  of  no  value,  you  ought  not  to 
enter  it  at  all.  But  if  they  be  worth  your  attention, 
let  no  petty  consideration,  ever  tempt  you  to  lose  a 
hint  or  a  word. 

15.  There  is  a  practice  indulged,  not  very  fre- 
quently, indeed,  but  more  frequently,  if  I  mistake 
not,  than  it  ought  to  be.     I  mean  that  of  calling 

OUT    A    student    from    THE    LECTURE-ROOM,    in    the 

middle  of  a  lecture  or  recitation,  and  sometimes  on 
very  slight  occasions.  That  occasions  may  arise, 
which  will  fully  justify  such  a  step,  no  one  can 
doubt.  But  that  it  should  be  ventured  upon  fre- 
quently, and  for  trivial  purposes,  merely  to  gratify 
a  social  visiter,  or  to  indulge  a  fit  of  juvenile  impa- 
tience, every  one  will  perceive  to  ])e  both  injudicious, 
and  a  mischievous  violation  of  order.  It  disturbs  the 
officiating  professor.  It  incommodes  the  whole  class. 
It  may  suddenly  take  out  of  the  room  the  very  indi- 
vidual for  whose  benefit  a  particular  explanation,  then 
in  hand,  had  been  intended,  as  I  have  known,  more 
than  once,  to  be  the  case;  and  thus  do  an  injustice  of 
which  no  one  can  fully  estimate  the  amount.  And 
all  this,  perhaps,  to  accomplish  something  either  of 
no  real  importance,  or  which  might  just  as  well  have 


HABITS  IN  THE  LECTURE-ROOM.  251 

been  postponed  until  after  the  close  of  the  exercise. 
I  would  advise  you,  then,  to  set  your  face  against 
this  practice,  by  testifying  your  disapprobation  when 
it  is  done  with  respect  to  yourself,  and  by  endeavour- 
ing to  disseminate  a  sentiment  adverse  to  it  among 
your  fellow  students. 

16.  I  would  advise  you  to  take  copious  notes, 
on  the  spot,  of  all  the  lectures  which  you  hear.  This 
habit,  when  once  established,  will  furnish  an  addi- 
tional motive  to  perfect  punctuality  in  being  present 
at  every  lecture;  for  you  will  be  unwilling  to  see  a 
blank  occurring  in  eveiy  half  dozen  pages  in  your 
note-book.  It  will  constrain  you  to  pay  close  atten- 
tion to  every  word  that  is  uttered  when  you  are 
present.  It  will  aid  you  in  acquiring  the  art  of  ex- 
pressing yourself  with  brevity  and  precision.  And 
it  will  enable  you  with  ease  to  refresh  your  memory 
afterwards.  I  once  knew  a  student  who  had  a  series 
of  note-books,  which  contained  the  substance  of  all 
that  he  had  studied  at  college,  as  well  as  afterwards 
in  the  seminary.  And  he  assured  me,  that  not  only 
had  the  labour  of  forming  them  been  of  great  advan- 
tage to  him;  but  that  he  also  considered  them,  at  the 
time  when  he  was  speaking  on  the  subject,  as,  on 
various  accounts,  among  the  most  precious  books  in 
his  library. 

17.  In  fine;  let  every  hour  which  you  spend 
IX  the  lecture-room,  be  considered  as  an 
HOUR  of  peculiar  VALUE.  Remember  that  the 
business  of  a  professor  is  not  to  think  for  you;  but 
to  excite  you  to  think;  to  put  you  in  possession 
of  general  principles;  to  start  strains  of  thought;  to 
state  leading  facts,  rather  than  the  minuter  items  of 


352  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

history;  in  short,  to  open  a  precious  mine,  to  give 
you  a  specimen  of  its  contents,  and  to  unfold  some 
of  the  best  methods  of  exploring  its  boundless 
riches.  This  being  done  for  you,  all  the  rest  must 
be  accomplished  by  yourself.  But  in  vain  will  any 
student  hope  to  achieve  much  in  the  attainment  of 
that  which  lectures  cannot  give  him  in  detail,  unless 
he  bring  to  every  lecture  a  mind  awake,  active,  in- 
quisitive, and  greedy  of  knowledge.  Unless  he  care- 
fully watch  every  sentence  that  is  dropped;  every 
opening  for  an  important  question,  and  explanation; 
and  every  opportunity,  however  small,  of  extending 
his  views  of  truth  or  duty.  If  students  listened  with 
such  a  spirit,  the  shortest  and  most  meagi'e  lecture 
would  be  thought  a  feast.  0  how  remote  from  this 
is  the  dull,  drowsy,  uninterested  mind  which  some 
bring  to  the  exercises  of  the  class  ! — a  mind  which, 
instead  of  eagerly  seizing,  examining  and  extending 
all  that  is  presented  to  it,  can  hardly  be  stimulated 
to  such  a  degree  of  attention  as  will  enable  it  even  to 
comprehend  what  is  said  at  the  time,  much  less  to 
give  any  intelligent  account  of  it  afterwards.  You 
may  rest  assured,  that  if  you  do  not  gain  the  art  of 
bringing  intense  interest  of  mental  application 
to  that  which  is  presented  to  you  from  time  to  time, 
you  will  never  accomplish  much  in  any  species  of 
mental  improvement. 


LETTER    X. 


That  thou  mayest  know  how  thou  oughtestto  behave  thyself  in  the 
house  of  God. — 1  Tim.  iii,  15. 


HABITS   IN   THE    PULPIT,  AND  IN  THE  HOUSE    OF 
GOD. 

My  dear  young  friend, 

The  pulpit  has  been  sometimes  called  the  minis- 
ter's throne.  There  he  appears  to  perform  the  most 
important  part  of  his  public  work.  And  there,  if 
any  where,  he  ought  to  be  seen  to  advantage.  His 
aspect,  his  attitudes,  and  his  whole  deportment  ought 
to  correspond  with  the  gravity  and  solemnity  of  his 
message.  And  while,  on  the  one  hand,  every  thing 
like  pomp,  ostentation,  or  mock  dignity,  should  be 
avoided  as  hateful;  on  the  other,  all  coarseness, 
levity,  or  vulgarity;  every  thing  that  borders  on  the 
ludicrous,  or  the  want  of  real  dignity,  ought  to  be 
shunned  with  no  less  care.  As  you  are  soon,  with 
the  permission  of  Providence,  to  ascend  the  pulpit,  I 
am  anxious  that  you  should  have  some  just  ideas  how 
you  ought  to  appear  there.  It  is  my  purpose,  there- 
fore, in  the  present  letter,  to  put  you  on  your  guard 
against  a  few  of  those  faults  which  I  have  often  ob- 
served ministers  to  commit  in  the  sacred  desk;  and 
w 


254  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

to  offer  a  few  plain  counsels  which  may  aid  you  in 
avoiding  those  faults. 

1.  Avoid  all  unnecessary  expense  of  spirits, 

VOICE,  AND  strength,  IMMEDIATELY  BEFORE   GOING 

into  the  pttlpit.  Those  who  are  not  aware  of 
the  difficulties  under  which  ministers  labour,  espe- 
cially such  of  them  as  have  weak  lungs,  or  general 
delicacy  of  health,  are  apt  to  call  upon  them  for  ser- 
vices which  require  much  effort,  just  before  the  com- 
mencement of  the  public  service  in  the  church.  The 
consequence  is,  that  they  sometimes  ascend  the  pulpit 
nearly  as  much  exhausted,  as,  at  other  times,  when 
they  quit  it.  This  cannot  always  be  avoided;  but  it 
certainly  ought  in  all  cases  to  be  avoided,  when  it  can 
be  consistently  with  duty.  Guard  against  all  unne- 
cessary reading  loud,  and  every  thing  which  tends  to 
produce  exhaustion  or  weariness,  especially  of  the 
lungs.  Make  a  point  of  entering  on  the  service  of 
the  sanctuary  in  all  the  freshness  and  fulness  of  your 
strength  and  spirits.  In  this  case,  you  may  hope  to 
perform  them  with  more  vigour  and  animation;  with 
more  comfort  to  yourself;  and  with  more  profit  to 
others.  Whereas  if  you  either  inadvertently,  or  un- 
avoidably, fatigue  yourself  before  you  go  to  the 
pulpit,  your  whole  public  work,  on  that  occasion,  will 
probably  be  dull  and  nerveless.  Hence  that  preacher 
is  extremely  unwise,  who  sits  up  late  on  Saturday 
night,  and  exhausts  himself  in  making  preparations 
for  the  next  day.  Of  all  nights  in  the  week,  it  is 
important  that  that  which  immediately  precedes  the 
sabbath,  should  be  passed  in  unbroken  sleep. 

2.  When  you  expect  to  preach,  instead  of  eat- 
ing MORE,  RATHER  EAT  LESS  THAN   ON  OTHER  DAYS. 


HABITS  IN  THE  PULPIT.  255 

I  do  not  forget  that  no  rules  on  this  suhject  can  be 
laid  down,  which  will  equally  suit  all  persons.  But, 
unless  I  am  greatly  deceived,  there  are  some  general 
princi])les  here,  which  admit  of  very  few  exceptions. 
And  one  of  these  I  believe  to  be,  that,  when  we  are 
about  to  make  a  great  exertion,  especially  in  speak- 
ing, a  state  of  repletion  is  so  far  from  being  advan- 
tageous, that  it  is  directly  the  reverse.  Try  it  when 
3-ou  will,  you  will  find  that,  when  your  aliment  on 
the  sabbath  is  more  light  in  its  quality,  and  smaller 
in  quantity,  than  on  other  days,  you  will  go  through 
the  labours  of  the  day  with  more  ease  and  vivacity, 
with  far  less  subsequent  fatigue,  and  feel  much  better 
the  next  day,  than  when  you  take  an  opposite  course. 
Of  all  mistakes  on  this  subject,  that  is  the  greatest, 
which  dreams  of  deriving  unusual  strength  and  ani- 
mation for  the  labours  of  the  pulpit,  from  an  unusual 
indulgence  in  the  use  of  solid  food. 

3.  Never  habituate  yourself  to  the  use  of  many 

OF      those      tonics,     NOURISHING      DRAUGHTS,      AND 

CLEARERs  OF  THE  VOICE,  of  whicli  many  make  such 
abundant  use.  I  have  known  some  preachers,  who 
abounded  so  much  in  the  use  of  eggs,  and  honey,  and 
mint  drops,  and  spirits  of  lavendar,  and  wine,  and 
sugar  candy,  &c.  &c.,  immediately  before  going  to  the 
pulpit,  that,  when  abroad,  and  among  those  who  were 
not  accustomed  to  their  habits,  they  were  really  trou- 
blesome guests.  And  1  not  long  since  read  a  work, 
entitled  Medicina  Clcrica,  from  the  pen  of  an 
English  Clergyman,  in  which  the  writer  makes 
preparation  for  entering  the  pulpit  so  complicated  a 
system;  in  which  he  recommends  such  a  long  list  of 
drops,  and  lozenges,  and  stimulants,  and  remedies  for 


256  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

hoarseness,  and  such  an  endless  round  of  indulgences 
and  plans  for  "  ease  and  comfort/'  that  the  perusal  of 
his  book  appears  to  me  much  better  adapted  to  teach  a 
man  how  to  make  himself  a  hypochondriac,  than  a 
powerful,  active  preacher.  The  truth  is,  young 
preachers  do  not  stand  in  need  of  any  of  these  things, 
and  ought  not  to  use  them.  They  are  seldom  ne- 
cessary for  any  one  who  does  not  make  them  so,  by 
improper  management.  If  you  ask  me,  what  plan  I 
would  recommend  for  keeping  the  lips  and  mouth 
sufficiently  moist,  and  for  clearing  the  voice,  in  the 
pulpit  ?  my  answer  is — I  would  recommend — -just 
nothing  at  all.  Avoid  the  use  of  any  thing  for  this 
purpose.  Guard  against  the  miserable  servitude  of 
having  a  dozen  little  wants,  all  of  which  must  be 
supplied  before  you  can  ascend  the  sacred  desk. 
Endeavour,  by  temperance  and  exercise,  to  preserve 
in  vigour  your  general  health,  and  then,  unless  some 
organic  disease  should  render  some  application  to  the 
mouth  or  throat  necessary,  you  will  do  much  better 
without  any  thing  of  the  kind.  The  truth  is,  this  is 
one  of  the  numerous  cases  in  which,  the  more  you 
make  use  of  the  auxiliaries  of  which  I  speak,  the 
more  indispensably  necessary  to  your  comfort  they 
will  be  likely  to  become,  until  you  may  convert  your 
study  into  an  apothecary's  shop,  and  render  yourself 
a  poor  feeble  valetudinarian,  by  the  very  efforts 
which  you  make  to  avoid  the  evil.  On  this  subject 
I  speak  from  experience.  In  the  early  part  of  my 
ministry,  I  abounded  in  the  use  of  prescriptions  for 
strengthening  and  clearing  the  voice.  I  soon  dis- 
covered, however,  that  the  only  effect  of  them  was. 
to  increase  the  difficulty  which  they  were  inteud^d^ 


HABITS  IN  THE  PULPIT.  257 

to  remedy;  and  to  render  an  increase  both  in  the 
frequency  and  quantity  of  the  applications  indispen- 
sable. Alarmed  at  this  discovery,  I  determined  to 
lay  them  all  aside.  I  did  so;  and  found,  when  the 
first  little  inconvenience  of  the  privation  had  passed 
away,  that  I  was  able  to  do  better  without  than  with 
them.  And  now,  with  a  delightful  independence  of 
all  my  former  little  wants,  for  which  I  cannot  be 
sufficiently  thankful,  I  usually  go  to  the  pulpit  more 
comfortably,  without  a  single  medical,  or  dietetical 
application,  than  before  with  a  host  of  them. 

4.  Go  FRo:\r  your  knees  to  the  pulpit.  The 
more  thoroughly  your  mind  is  steeped,  if  I  may  be 
allowed  the  expression,  in  the  spirit  of  prayer,  and  of 
communion  with  God,  when  you  ascend  the  sacred 
desk,  the  more  easy  and  delightful  will  it  be  to  preach; 
the  more  rich  and  spiritual  will  your  preaching  be; 
the  more  fervent  and  natural  your  eloquence;  and  the 
greater  the  jjrobability  that  what  you  say  will  be 
made  a  blessing.  Be  assured,  my  dear  young  friend, 
after  all  the  rules  and  instructions  which  have  been 
given  on  the  ?,uhject  of  pulpit  ehrjiie7ice — and  which 
in  their  place  have  great  value — that  which  unspeak- 
ably outweighs  all  the  rest  in  importance,  is,  that  you 
go  to  the  sanctuary  with  a  heart  full  of  your  subject; 
warmed  with  love  to  your  Master,  and  to  immortal 
souls;  remembering  too,  that  the  eye  of  that  Master  is 
upon  you;  and  that  of  the  sermon  which  you  are 
about  to  deliver,  you  must  soon  give  an  account  be- 
fore his  judgment  seat.  With  these  sentiments  in 
full  force,  it  is  always  desirable,  both  for  your  own 
sake  and  that  of  others,  that  you  should  enter  the 
pulpit.     And   I  know  of  no  means  more  likely  to 


258  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

produce  them,  than  humble  importunity  before  the 
throne  of  grace. 

5.  Make  a  point  of  being  as  perfectly  punctu- 
al AS  POSSIBLE  in  attending  at  the  appointed  hour 
for  public  service.  A  punctual  minister  makes  a 
punctual  congregation.  Whereas  if  the  minister  be 
tardy,  or  variable,  as  to  the  time  of  his  attendance,  he 
scarcely  ever  fails  to  induce  a  similar  habit  on  the  part 
of  his  parishioners.  The  consequence  of  this  is,  that 
a  considerable  portion  of  them  seldom  arrive  till  the 
service  is  nearly  half  over;  thereby  diminishing  their 
own  profit,  and  disturbing  the  devotions  of  those  who 
are  more  punctual  than  themselves.  With  regard  to 
country  congregrations,  other  evils,  quite  as  serious, 
flow  from  this  unhappy  practice.  The  people  are 
frequently  permitted  by  the  minister  to  wait  for  his 
arrival  half  an  hour,  and  sometimes  longer,  after  the 
major  part  of  them  are  assembled.  This  interval, 
instead  of  being  spent  profitably,  by  the  mass  of  the 
attendants,  is  commonly  passed  in  vain  and  unprofi- 
table conversation,  if  not  in  that  which  is  of  a  worse 
character;  communications  take  place  which  render 
the  minds  of  many  wholly  unfit  for  the  solemn  ser- 
vices which  follow,  and  perhaps  lead  to  injurious 
engagements,  after  those  services  are  ended.  Thus, 
in  many  cases,  incalculable  mischief  is  done.  I 
would  advise  you  to  accustom  the  people,  by  your 
own  example,  to  absolute  punctuality.  Endeavour 
to  be  always  seated  in  the  pulpit  a  few  minutes  before 
the  arrival  of  the  time  appointed  for  commencing  the 
service.  Begin  precisely  at  the  time,  or,  at  any 
i-ate,  within  five  minutes  after  it,  even  if  you  have 
but  a  dozen  hearers.     Wait  for  no  one.     If  this  plan 


HABITS  IN  THE  PULPIT.  259 

be  adopted,  and  persisted  in,  and  notice  given  accord- 
ingly, you  will  soon  be  rid  of  all  trouble  from  this 
source:  and  many  precious  hours  will  be  saved  to 
yourself,  as  well  as  to  the  people  of  your  charge. 

6.  Let  your  mode  of  entering  the  house  of 
God,  and  op  walking  along  the  aisle,  toward 
the  pulpit,  be  grave,  dignified,  and  yet  per- 
fectly simple  and  unaffected.  Few  things  are 
more  unbecoming,  than  to  see  an  ambassador  of 
Christ,  who  enters  the  sanctuary  for  the  purfjose  of 
conducting  the  devotions  of  a  religious  assembly, 
and  of  addressing  them  on  the  most  momentous  of  all 
subjects,  walking  with  hurried  steps,  or  in  a  light,  airy 
manner;  looking  over  the  house,  as  he  enters  it, 
as  if  in  search  of  an  acquaintance;  and  perhaps,  even 
bowing  to  those  who  are  seated  near  him  as  he 
passes.  All  this  I  have  frequently  seen,  and  never 
without  disnpprobation  and  disgust.  How  much 
more  suitable,  to  manifest  the  spirit  and  feelings  of 
the  pulpit  before  you  enter  it;  to  approach  it  with  a 
deliberate  and  grave  step,  with  a  serious  and  fixed 
countenance,  and  taking  but  little  notice  of  any  ex- 
ternal ol)jccts  around  you!  Do  not,  in  these  circum- 
stances, even  accost  an  individual,  if  you  can  easily 
avoid  it.  And  instead  of  mounting  the  pulpit  steps 
with  a  rapidity,  or  an  affectation  of  gracefulness,  ap- 
proaching the  artificial  skip  of  a  dancing-master, 
let  it  be  always  done  with  that  mixture  of  gravity  and 
gentleness,  which  I  have  elsewhere  recommended  as 
so  important  in  every  part  of  clerical  manners. 

7.  Let  every  look,  motion,  and  attitude  in 
the    pulpit    correspond    with  the  gravity  of 

YOUR    character,    AND    THE    SOLEMN    PURPOSE    FOR 


260  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

WHICH  YOU  AscENDEB  IT.  Let  there  be  no  roving 
of  the  eyes  over  the  assembly,  as  if  to  gratify  curi- 
osity, to  search  for  acquaintances,  or  to  indulge 
vanity  at  the  sight  of  a  crowd.  Let  there  be  no  ad- 
justment of  the  dress,  as  if  you  were  anxious  about 
your  personal  appearance.  Every  thing  of  this  kind 
should  be  done  before  you  go  thither,  and  afterwards 
entirely  dismissed  from  the  mind.  Let  there  be  no 
abrupt,  rapid  motions,  as  if  you  were  hurried  or 
agitated;  no  tossing  about  of  books,  or  turning  over 
their  leaves  in  a  hurried  manner,  as  if  vexed  or  im- 
patient. But  let  every  movement,  and  your  whole 
demeanour,  be  of  the  calm,  sedate,  gentle  character, 
becoming  a  mind  withdrawn  from  the  world  and 
its  scenes;  a  mind  even  withdrawn  from  its  own 
secular  feelings,  and  occupied  with  divine  contem- 
plations; a  mind  softened,  tranquillized,  and  adapted 
to  its  holy  employment.  There  is  something  as 
beautiful  as  it  is  impressive,  in  seeing  the  whole  air, 
countenance  and  manner  of  a  man  of  God,  who  is 
just  about  to  deliver  the  message  of  his  Master,  cor- 
responding with  his  office  and  his  work:  and  without 
either  affected  solemnity,  or  any  other  species  of 
affectation,  evincing  a  heart  absorbed  with  the  great 
objects  which  he  wishes  to  recommend  to  others. 

8.  I  have  noticed  in  some  ministers,  A  striking 
WANT  OF  dignity  in  almost  every  thing  that  they 
did  in  the  pulpit.  If  they  had  occasion  to  give  any 
orders  to  the  sexton;  or  to  announce  any  public 
notification;  or  to  address  any  one  in  the  church,  at 
some  distance  from  the  pulpit,  it  was  done  in  a  man- 
ner much  more  adapted  to  promote  ridicule,  than 
impressions  corresponding  with  the  sabbath  and  the 


HABITS  IN  THE   PULPIT.  261 

house  of  God.  If  they  had  occasion  to  discharge 
saliva  from  their  moiitlis,  in  the  midst  of  the  puhlic 
service,  it  was  accomplished  very  unceremoniously, 
throwing  it  ahout  offensively,  and  perhaps  with 
noise,  without  the  use  of  a  handkerchief.  In  short, 
their  whole  manner  of  performing  every  thing  they 
were  called  to  do  or  say,  was  without  taste,  without 
that  quiet  and  gentle  dignity,  which  ought  ever  to 
mark  what  is  done  in  the  sacred  desk.  Carefully 
guard  against  such  coarse,  repulsive  hahits.  Let 
nothing  escape  you,  which  may  tend,  either  in  mat- 
ter or  manner,  to  jar  the  feelings  of  the  most  fastidi- 
ous member  of  the  assembly  who  is  reasonable,  or 
to  produce  an  emotion  unfriendly  to  that  solemn 
Christian  composure  which  becomes  the  place. 

9.  Let  not  your  commencement  of  the  public 
SERVICE,  either  as  to  voice  or  manner,  be  abrupt, 
harsh,  or  loud;  but  studiously  gentle  and  reverential. 
Offences  against  this  obvious  rule  of  propriety  are 
exceedingly  common.  Every  thing  that  looks  like 
haste,  or  the  want  of  due  solemnity,  never  fails  to 
repel  correct  minds.  And  every  thing  in  the  tones 
of  the  voice,  which  indicates  the  absence  of  that 
sacred  awe  which  ought  to  fill  the  mind  in  entering 
on  the  duty  of  dispensing  sacred  things,  is  no  less 
obvious  and  repulsive.  Let  your  whole  manner,  in 
first  rising  in  the  pulpit,  be  in  harmony  with  the 
occasion  and  the  place. 

10.  Be  not  ix  haste  to  pass  from  one  part  of 

THE  service  to  ANOTHER,  BEFORE  THE  PRECED- 
ING IS  FINISHED.  It  is  by  no  means  uncommon  to 
see  the  occupant  of  a  pulpit  rise  for  prayer,  before 
the  psalm  is  completed;  and  still  more  frequently, 


262  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

rise  to  commence  his  sermon,  while  the  praises  of 
God  are  going  on.  Nay,  while  the  last  verse  of  the 
psalm  or  hymn  was  singing,  I  have  known  several 
who  always  stood  up;  turned  over  the  leaves  of  the 
bihle;  adjusted  marks  for  passages  to  which  they 
wished  to  refer;  and  seemed  to  be  entirely  absorbed 
in  something  entirely  different  from  that  part  of  the 
service  which  was  then  going  on.  I  must  confess 
this  strikes  me  as  a  great  impropriety.  Is  the  con- 
ductor of  the  public  service  to  consider  himself  as 
taking  a  part  in  it  or  not  ?  If  he  do,  then  surely,  he 
ought  not  to  pass  from  one  to  another,  until  the  for- 
mer be  finished.  While  he  is  eagerly  engaged  in 
searching  for  passages  of  Scripture,  he  cannot  be 
really  uniting  with  his  fellow  worshippers  in  singing 
the  praises  of  God  from  the  heart,  however  his  lips 
and  voice  may  be  employed.  Besides;  where  is  the 
need  of  so  much  expedition  ?  Why  should  you  be 
in  haste  to  pass  on  to  another  exercise,  until  the  pre- 
ceding is  completed  ?  If  the  worship  of  God  were 
irksome,  and  you  wished  to  bring  it  to  a  close  as  soon 
as  possible;  or  if  you  believed  3'^our  sermon  to  be 
much  better  than  prayer  or  praise,  you  might  be  in  a 
hurry  to  pass  from  the  latter  to  the  former.  But  as 
you  would  not  be  willing  to  avow  either  of  these,  let 
nothing  that  would  imply  either  mark  the  progress 
of  the  public  service. 

11.  But  sometimes  a  still  more  striking  indecorum 
occurs.  It  is  that  of  a  minister  who,  when  standing 
in  the  pulpit,  while  a  brother  is  officiating  in  prayer, 
has  been  occupied,  a  number  of  minutes  before  the 
prayer  was  ended,  in  looking  for  the  psalm  which 
was  to  succeed,  or  for  the  chapter  which  was  to  be 


HABITS  IN  THE  PULPIT.  263 

read;  and  actually  rustling  the  leaves  for  that  purpose, 
in  a  manner  audible,  as  well  as  visible,  to  the  greater 
part  of  the  congregation.  It  is  difficult  to  speak  of 
such  a  practice  in  terms  of  sufficiently  strong  repro- 
bation. It  is,  indeed,  an  offence  against  decorum  so 
flagrant  that  it  is  wonderful  how  any  one  who  had 
the  least  desire  either  to  be,  or  to  be  thought  devout, 
could  possibly  fall  into  it. 

12.  Let  me  advise  you,  in  public  prayer  al- 
ways TO  close  your  eyes.  I  should  not  mention 
this,  were  it  not  that  some  ministers  of  our  church, 
and  some  of  no  inconsiderable  eminence,  have  been 
in  the  habit  of  conducting  public  prayer  with  their 
eyes  open,  to  the  great  annoyance  of  many  who  wit- 
nessed the  practice;  and  were  it  not  also,  that  the 
celebrated  and  truly  excellent  Dr.  Doddridge^  in  his 
"  Lectures  on  Preaching,  &c."  seems  to  give  it  the 
sanction  of  his  advice.  I  am  persuaded  that  if  you 
can,  without  great  inconvenience  to  yourself,  keep 
your  eyes  constantly  shut  in  this  exercise,  it  will  be 
found  much  preferable  to  the  opposite  method.  To 
many  persons,  the  appearance  of  the  eyes  open  in 
prayer  is  really  painful.  And  when  they  are  kept 
open,  it  is  extremely  difficult,  especially  to  some 
individuals,  to  keep  them  from  wandering  to  different 
objects,  and  parts  of  the  church,  and  thus,  in  some 
degree,  interfering  with  that  entire  abstraction  of  the 
thoughts  from  sensible  objects,  which  is  certainly 
desirable. 

13.  Study  to  administer  the  sacraments  of 
the  church  in  a  manner  adapted  to  iniake  a 
distinct  AND  SOLEMN  IMPRESSION.  Let  there  be 
no  appearance  of  coarseness,  haste,  or  cai'elessness  in 


264  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

your  mode  of  administering  those  peculiarly  interest- 
ing ordinances.  As  they  mean  much  in  reality;  so 
let  them  be  seen  to  mean  much  in  your  hands.  When 
you  are  about  to  administer  the  ordinance  of  baptism, 
either  to  adults,  or  infants,  be  careful  to  inform  the 
persons  concerned,  unless  you  are  perfectly  sure  that 
they  are  informed  beforehand,  of  all  the  questions 
which  you  intend  to  address  to  them;  where  and  how 
they  are  to  stand,  &c.;  as  these  are  points  with  respect 
to  which  the  usages  of  churches  are  not  entirely  uni- 
form. In  short,  try  to  guard  against  their  being 
taken  by  surprise,  or  embarrassed  by  any  part  of  the 
service.  In  like  manner,  in  the  administration  of  the 
Lord's  Supper,  whether  the  communicants  sit  at 
tables  or  in  pews,  take  care  to  have  every  thing  so 
far  prepared  and  adjusted  beforehand,  as  that  there 
may  be  nothing  likely  to  occur  to  jar  the  feelings,  to 
incommode,  or  to  impair  the  solemnity  of  the  scene. 
Let  there  be  no  undue  haste;  no  omission  of  what  is 
necessary  for  the  comfort  of  the  communicants  and 
others;  but  every  thing  studiously  ordered  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  render  the  whole  occasion,  as  far  as  pos- 
sible, solemn,  impressive,  and  edifying  to  all  classes 
who  may  witness  it. 

14.  Guard  against  making  your  public  ser- 
vices TOO  LONG.  The  opposite  to  this  advice  is  a 
fault  which  often  occurs,  and  which  is  always  un- 
friendly to  edification.  Whenever  weariness  begins, 
edification  terminates.  It  was  well  said  by  TVhite- 
Jield,  that  a  sermon  of  more  than  an  hour  long, 
though  preached  by  an  angel,  would  appear  tedious, 
unless  the  hearers  were  angels  too.  Where  there  is 
more  than  one  service  statedly  performed,  no  sermon 


HABITS  IN  THE  PULPIT.  265 

ought  ever,  on  an  ordinary  occasion,  to  be  more  than 
forty-five  minutes  in  length;  nor  ought  the  whole 
service,  at  any  one  time,  to  be  longer  than  an  hour 
and  a  half.  And  if,  at  any  time,  you  are  C077ipelled, 
by  special  circumstances,  to  preach  longer,  let  all  the 
other  parts  of  the  service  be,  in  a  corresponding  de- 
gree, abridged.  Some  ministers  manifest  a  degree  of 
thoughtlessness,  or  want  of  judgment,  on  this  subject, 
truly  wonderful.  If  at  any  time  they  are  betrayed 
into  an  inordinate  tediousness  in  their  sermons,  they 
seldom  fail,  at  the  same  time,  to  make  the  portion  of 
scripture  read,  the  prayers,  and  the  psalms,  all  in  like 
proportion  tedious.  This  is  extremely  ill-judged, 
and  often  interferes  most  essentially  with  the  edifi- 
cation of  many  hearers.  It  appears  to  me  proper  to 
urge  this  advice  with  especial  earnestness,  in  reference 
to  those  occasions  on  which  the  Lord's  Supper  is  dis- 
pensed. At  such  peculiarly  solemn  and  interesting 
seasons,  when  Ihe  services  are  unavoidably  much 
longer  than  those  of  an  ordinary  sabbath,  I  have 
often  been  surprised  to  see  clergymen  take  so  little 
care  to  abridge  those  parts  of  the  service  which  easily 
admit  of  being  shortened.  On  such  occasions,  by 
making  the  sermon  shorter  than  usual,  and  by  lopping 
off  a  small  portion  from  each  of  the  other  exercises, 
a  very  convenient  length  of  the  whole  may  be  readily 
attained. 

15.    Never  render   yourself    remarkable  by 

CONTINUALLY      MAKING      A      DISPLAY     OF     A     WHITE 

HANDKERCHIEF  IN  THE  PULPIT.  I  Say,  by  making 
a  display  of  it.  To  have  such  a  handkerchief,  if 
convenient,  in  the  pulpit,  and  to  iise  it  on  proper  oc- 
casions, and  in  a  proper  way,  are  by  no  means  objec- 

X 


266  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

tionable.  But  to  hold  it  up  frequently,  and  in  a 
flourishing  manner,  as  if  to  invite  the  notice  of  the 
congregation,  is  a  practice  unworthy  of  a  man  of 
sense.  Indeed,  with  regard  to  every  part  of  your 
dress,  or  other  appendage  of  your  person,  never 
allow  it,  on  any  occasion,  to  have  the  appearance  of 
engaging  a  single  thought. 

16.  When   you  have  occasion    to    reprove   anv 

DISORDERLY  PERSON  IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  GoD,  GUARD 
AGAINST  INDULGING  OR  BETRAYING  IRASCIBLE  FEEL- 
ING. It  is  peculiarly  unseemly,  and  out  of  season, 
for  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  in  the  pulpit,  and  in  the 
very  act  of  exhorting  men  to  obey  the  commands  of 
God,  to  lose  his  temper,  and  give  way  to  that  which 
may  even  possibly  be  regarded  as  an  effusion  of  anger.  • 
Do  not  make  your  reproofs  from  the  pulpit  very  fre- 
quent, or  else  they  will  become  cheap.  When  you 
think  yourself  called  in  duty  to  administer  a  reproof, 
do  it  seriously  and  solemnly,  but  mildly.  Sometimes 
it  is  best  to  come  to  a  full  stop,  and  look  at  the  indi- 
vidual offending,  in  perfect  silence,  until  every  eye 
shall  be  directed  toward  him.  At  other  times,  it 
may  be  proper  to  request  the  sexton  to  attend  to 
those  persons  who  are  disturbing  the  congregation, 
and  to  direct  them,  if  they  cannot  be  persuaded  to 
behave  decently,  to  leave  the  assembly.  Sometimes 
a  pause,  without  naming  or  indicating  any  individual, 
and  uttering  a  sentence  or  two  on  the  importance  of 
reverencing  the  name  and  worship  of  Jehovah,  may 
answer  every  purpose.  The  cases  I  presume,  will 
ever  be  found  few  in  which  it  can  be  necessary  to 
administer  a  direct  and  personal  rebuke.  But,  what- 
ever may  be  the  form  of  admonition  which  the  case 


HABITS  IN  THE  PULPIT.  267 

requires,  deliver  it  in  a  grave,  mild,  and  gentle  man- 
ner. Never  attempt  to  taunt  the  offenders  by  sar- 
casm, or  to  turn  the  laugh  on  them  by  wit.  This 
might  do  very  well  in  a  secular  assembly;  but  is  not 
proper  for  a  minister  of  religion,  and  in  the  house  of 
God. 

17.  Let  your  deportment  in  quitting  the  pulpit, 

AND    withdrawing     FROM    THE     CHURCH,    be  of   the 

same  general  character  with  that  which  was  recom- 
mended  in  approaching  and  entering  it.  Retire  as 
soon  as  you  can,  gravely,  silently,  and  alone.  Dis- 
countenance the  practice  which  I  have  known  some 
ministers  to  indulge  to  a  considerable  extent;  I  mean 
that  of  stopping  to  converse  with  a  number  of  indi- 
viduals, at  the  close  of  the  public  service;  with  some, 
as  a  mere  matter  of  social  respect  and  ceremony; 
with  others,  perhaps,  on  the  subject  of  the  discourse 
just  ilelivered;  and  with  a  third  class  on  the  subject 
of  religion  generally.  In  general,  give  no  encourage- 
ment to  any  of  these  classes  of  persons  to  stop  for 
the  purpose  of  conversing  with  you  at  this  unseason- 
able time.  Not  the  first  class;  because  mere  social 
conversation  is  extremely  apt,  even  on  the  sabbath, 
and  in  the  house  of  God,  to  degenerate  into  worldly 
chat,  before  we  are  aware,  and  to  banish  from  the 
mind  the  most  solemn  subjects  of  contemplation  in 
which  we  may  have  been  engaged.  Not  even,  in 
ordinary  cases,  the  second  and  /AiW  classes;  because, 
although  it  may,  on  some  special  occasions,  be  your 
duty  to  gratify  those  who  may  wish  to  remain  a  few 
minutes,  for  the  purpose  of  conversing  with  3'ou,  and 
it  might  appear  morose  to  decline  it;  yet  yielding  to 
2i  practice  of  that  kind,  may  be  very  injurious.     At 


268  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

the  close  of  the  public  service,  you  will  generally 
find  yourself  fatigued,  and  often  exhausted.  This  is 
a  very  unfit  condition  in  which  to  enter  on  conversa- 
tion in  reference  to  the  most  important  of  all  sub- 
jects. And,  frequently,  has  a  minister,  before  he 
was  aware,  materially  injured  himself,  by  pausing  to 
engage  in  conversation,  while  fatigued  with  a  pre- 
ceding service. 

Besides,  on  the  score  of  example,  ministers  ought, 
by  all  means,  to  be  in  the  habit  of  retiring  from  the 
house  of  God  to  their  place  of  abode,  in  serious  and 
solemn  silence.  What  would  be  the  consequence,  if 
every  hearer,  at  the  close  of  the  public  service,  were 
to  linger  about  the  church,  receiving  and  paying 
civilities;  making  social  inquiries;  hearing  or  telling 
news;  or  even  conversing  on  the  subject  of  the  min- 
ister's discourse  ?  Is  it  not  evident  that  a  scene  of 
noise  and  disorder  must  ensue,  and  that  the  practical 
influence  of  the  exercises  of  the  sanctuary,  would 
probably  be  very  transient  ?  And  shall  a  minister, 
by  his  own  example,  sanction  any  thing  which,  if  it 
were  to  become  general,  would  produce  incalculable 
mischief?  I  have  known  many  a  congregation,  espe- 
cially in  the  country,  the  members  of  which  were  in 
the  habit  of  spending  a  considerable  time,  both  before 
the  commencement,  and  after  the  close  of  the  public 
service,  in  social  chat,  and  sometimes  in  that  of  a 
very  light  and  unsuitable  kind.  And  I  must  say, 
that,  in  general,  when  I  have  observed  this,  I  have 
been  strongly  inclined  to  lay  a  large  share  of  the 
blame  at  the  door  of  their  pastor.  If  a  proper  ex- 
ample had  been,  in  all  cases,  set  by  him,  such  a  prac- 
tice could  not  have  been  long  kept  in  countenance. 


HABITS  IN  THE  PULPIT.  269 

18.  When  you  are  seated  in  tlie  pulpit  with  ano- 
ther minister,  let   your  conversation  with  him 

BE   IN  A  LOW  AND   INAUDIBLE   VOICE.       I  haVC  knOWn 

a  minister,  sitting  in  tlie  pulpit  with  a  clerical  hrother, 
to  talk  SO  loudly,  that  the  sound  of  his  voice  might 
be  heard  almost  over  the  whole  church.  I  have 
known  others,  so  far  to  forget  themselves  as  not  only 
to  smile,  but  to  laugh  outright,  at  something  which  had 
been  said  in  the  course  of  this  pulpit  dialogue.  Every 
thing  of  this  kind,  makes  an  unpleasant  impression, 
and  ought  to  be  avoided.  Let  all  conversation  in  the 
pulpit  be  conducted  in  a  whisper,  audible  to  none  but 
those  who  are  engaged  in  it;  and  let  the  most  perfect 
gravity  of  countenance  be  constantly  maintained. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  cases  may  occur  in  which  a 
smile  in  the  pulpit  may  be  very  innocent.  But  how 
shall  the  members  of  a  congregation  know  when,  or 
how  far,  it  is  so  in  any  particular  instance  ?  The 
motto  of  every  Christian,  and  especially  of  every 
Christian  minister,  on  all  such  occasions  is,  "  ShUn 
the  ver}'  appearance  of  evil." 

19.  I  know  not  a  more  suitable  place  than  this  for 
taking  notice  of  another  habit  frequently  indulged  by 
clergymen.     I  mean  the  habit  of  conversing  aloud, 

AND    sometimes    even     JOCULARLY,    AT     FUNE^?ALS. 

If  ministers  of  religion  find  no  convenient  opening, 
at  funerals,  for  making  appropriate  remarks  "  on  the 
frailty  of  life,  and  the  importance  of  being  prejiared 
for  death  and  eternity,"  they  at  least  owe  it  to  deco- 
rum not  to  join  in  conversation  calculated  to  banish 
such  thoughts  from  their  own  minds,  and  those  of 
others.  I  have  often  been  surprised  and  pained  to 
hear  such  conversations  carried  on  in  funeral  assem- 

X* 


270  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

blies,  when  several  ministers  of  the  gospel  were 
present.  If  you  cannot  regulate  the  course  of  con- 
versation more  agreeably  to  your  mind,  it  is  far  better 
to  sit  gravely  silent.  Let  it  be  seen  that  there  is  at 
least  one  person  present,  who  is  engaged  in  serious 
meditation.  Let  me  also  advise  you  to  observe  the 
same  rule  when  you  are  walking  in  procession  at 
funerals,  to  the  place  of  interment.  I  have  seen 
ministers,  in  these  circumstances,  talking,  and  even 
laughing  audibly,  on  indifferent  subjects.  Is  not  this 
a  manifest  indecorum?  Surely  it  is  not  requiring 
too  much  to  say,  that  when  you  are  conveying  the 
dead  to  the  "  house  appointed  for  all  living,"  your 
subjects  of  discourse,  your  countenance,  and  your 
tones  of  voice,  ought  to  be  of  that  grave,  thoughtful, 
and  subdued  character,  which  is  in  harmony  with  the 
scene. 

20.  Sometimes  when  a  brother  occupies  your  place 
in  the  pulpit,  you  may  be  called  upon  to  make  a 
prayer,  either  before  or  after  sermon.  Whenever 
this  is  the   case,   carefully    avoid  making    the 

PRAYER  A  vehicle    OP    FLATTERY    tO    him    who    haS 

just  preached,  or  who  is  about  to  perform  that  service. 
This  is  frequently  done;  and  yet  it  is  obviously,  in  a 
high  degree,  both  criminal  and  contemptible.  We 
may,  indeed,  sometimes,  almost  apply  to  it  the  lan- 
guage of  an  inspired  apostle,  on  another  occasion,  and 
call  it  "  lying  to  the  Holy  Ghost."  Let  no  such 
impious  sycophancy  ever  pollute  those  prayers  in 
which  a  whole  assembly  are  expected  to  join.  Let 
me  also  put  you  on  your  guard  against  flattering  a 
brother,  who  has  just  laboured  for  you,  in  a  manner 
less  impious,  but  still  worthy  of  being  totally  con- 


HABITS  IN  THE  PULPIT.  271 

denined.  I  refer  to  the  manner  in  wliich  many 
ministers  are  in  tlie  habit  of  niakino;  their  grateful 
acknowledgments  to  their  brethren,  for  the  official 
help  afforded  them;  too  frequently  in  the  style  of 
flat t cry,  sometimes  in  that  of  a  very  gross  kind; 
lauiling  their  sermons  in  strong  terms;  and  addressing 
them  in  a  way  which,  if  it  do  not  minister  to  their 
vanity,  it  is  because  it  is  too  fulsome  to  be  mischievous. 
Shun  every  approach  to  this  sin.  To  thank  a  brother 
for  his  services,  if  they  be  really  valuable,  is,  in  com- 
mon, quite  enough.  If  there  be,  in  any  case,  a  call 
to  go  further,  and  to  express  a  favourable  opinion  of 
a  sermon,  let  it  be  done  with  studied  moderation,  and 
always  rather  fall  below  the  truth  than  transcend  it. 
21.  When  you  appear  in  the  sanctuary  as  an  ordi- 
nary hearer,  let  your  deportment  ever  exemplify 
those  rules  of  serious,  meek,  and  respectful  at- 
tention WHICH  YOU  INCULCATE  ON  OTHERS.       It  haS 

been  remarked,  that  some  clergymen  are  among  the 
most  inattentive  and  irreverent  hearers  that  enter  the 
house  of  God.  Perhaps  one  of  the  infelicities  of 
their  profession  is,  that  they  are  too  apt  to  hear  as 
critics;  to  be  constantly  measuring  the  discourses  of 
others,  by  those  canons  of  composition,  which  they 
have  been  in  the  habit  of  regarding  as  obligatory; 
and  when  these  are  palpably  violated,  to  manifest  by 
their  lookg  and  manners,  the  disrespectful  feelings 
which  occupy  their  minds.  Hence,  they  turn  away 
from  the  preacher,  as  if  desirous  of  escaping  from 
the  sound  of  his  voice,  gaze  about  the  house,  or  lean 
down  their  heads,  as  if  endeavouring  to  compose 
themselves  to  sleep.  I  have  also  known  ministers 
who  were  in  the  constant  habit  of  placing  themselves, 


272  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

during  public  prayer,  conducted  by  others,  in  such 
postures,  and  to  indulge  in  such  employments,  as 
have,  to  say  the  least,  very  little  of  the  appearance 
of  devotion.  Some  clergymen,  during  public  prayer, 
are  frequently,  if  not  generally,  employed  in  looking 
round  the  church,  in  adjusting  their  dress,  in  fixing 
their  hair,  and  in  constantly  changing  their  posture, 
as  if  impatient  of  the  continuance  of  the  exercise. 
All  this  is  indecorous  in  any  one;  but  especially  in  a 
minister  of  the  gospel.  If  he  allow  himself  thus  to 
act,  what  can  be  expected  from  the  mass  of  hearers, 
who  always  look  to  those  who  sustain  the  sacred 
office  to  go  before  them  in  devotion,  purity,  and  every 
thing  that  is  ornamental  in  Christian  deportment  ? 

To  this  point  allow  me  to  direct  your  particular 
attention.  Let  none  have  occasion  to  say,  that  your 
devotion  is  official,  not  persoiial;  and  that,  when 
you  are  out  of  the  pulpit,  you  can  be  as  remote  from 
the  solemnity  which  becomes  the  house  of  God,  as. 
any  of  your  neighbours.  On  the  contrary,  let  your 
serious  countenance,  your  wakeful,  erect,  fixed  atten- 
tion, your  meek,  respectful  air,  your  universally  de- 
vout manner,  even  when  you  are  seated  among  others, 
as  a  common  worshipper,  manifest  that  you  are  your- 
self really  engaged  in  those  things  which,  from  the 
pulpit,  you  recommend  to  others.  Remember  that, 
if  )^our  performances  in  the  pulpit,  from  sabbath 
to  sabbath,  put  to  the  test  your  ininisterial  gifts; 
your  manner  of  attending  on  the  service  of  the  sanc- 
tuary, as  a  common  worshipper,  puts  to  an  equally 
decisive  test  your  Christian  graces.  When  you 
join,  then,  in  the  devotions  led  by  another,  and  listen 
to  instruction  from  a  brother's  lips,  endeavour  to  lay 


HABITS  IN  THE   PULPIT.  273 

aside  the  feelings  of  the  minister,  and  to  sit,  an  hum- 
ble, candid  learner  at  the  feet  of  the  Saviour's  ser- 
vant: recollecting  that,  if  you  are  saved,  it  must  be 
by  the  same  rich  grace;  and  if  edified  and  comforted, 
it  must  be  by  the  same  simple,  precious,  humbling 
truths  and  promises  which  you  recommend  to  the 
most  illiterate  of  your  hearers.  In  a  word,  I  am 
persuaded  that  ministers,  by  their  exemplary  manner 
of  attending  on  the  ministrations  of  others,  may,  and 
often  do,  preach  as  solemnly,  and  impress  those 
around  them  as  powerfully,  as  by  the  best  services 
which  they  ever  perform  in  the  sacred  desk. 

22.    Avoid    MUCH    exposure    to    cold    air    im- 
mediately   AFTER    LEAVING     THE     PULPIT.        You 

ought  to  be  aware  that  cold  air  received  into  your 
lungs,  or  striking  on  your  body,  while  you  are  warm 
with  speaking,  is  peculiarly  dangerous,  and  may  be 
productive  of  fatal  mischief  Carefully  avoid  such 
exposure,  especially  in  very  damp  or  piercing  wea- 
ther. When  you  leave  the  church,  in  such  weather, 
throw  around  your  person  a  warm  cloak.  Hold  it 
up  in  such  a  manner  as  completely  to  cover  your 
mouth  and  nostrils;  and  take  care  to  inhale  none  but 
the  air  which  is  enclosed,  and  the  temperature  of 
which  is  moderated,  by  your  cloak.  And,  let  me 
add,  take  all  these  precautions  at  night  with  very 
■particular  care.  Some  preachers,  after  having  ad- 
dressed crowded  assemblies,  in  very  cold  weather,  in 
the  evening,  do  not  scruple  to  ride  home,  several 
miles,  at  a  late  hour.  This  is  always  dangerous,  and 
ought  never  to  be  done  without  wrapping  up  with 
peculiar  care,  and  using  every  precaution  to  guard 
your  body  and  lungs  against  the  night  air. 


274  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

23.  When  you  have  been  a  hearer,  do   not  quit 

THE  CHURCH  CRITICISING  THE  SERMON,  ANB  ESPE- 
CIALLY IN  AN  AUDIBLE  VOICE.  This  is  not  unfre- 
quently  done;  not  always  in  the  happiest  manner; 
and  sometimes,  unfortunately,  within  the  hearing 
of  the  preacher.  The  character  of  a  criticising 
hearer  of  sermons,  is  not  a  very  good  one  at  best. 
He  is  not  likely  to  obtain  much  practical  benefit  from 
hearing.  And  when  he  proclaims  his  criticisms,  at 
the  very  door  of  the  sanctuary,  or  on  his  way  from 
it,  he  perhaps  extends  an  injury  to  others.  Always 
be  a  candid  hearer  of  other  men's  sermons.  When 
3'ou  can  speak  favourably  of  them,  do  it;  but  not 
noisily  or  publicly.  When  you  are  constrained,  if 
you  say  any  thing,  to  censure,  give  utterance  to  your 
sentiments  as  gently  and  as  privately  as  possible, 
consistently  with  Christian  integrity. 

24.  Finally;  as  I  advised  you  to  go  from  your 
knees  to  the  pulpit,  so  I  would,  with  equal  earnest- 
ness, advise  that  you  go  from  the  pulpit  to  your 
KNEES.  If  you  are  faithful,  you  will  often  exhort 
your  hearers  to  retire  from  the  church  to  their  closets, 
to  meditate,  and  implore  the  divine  blessing  on  what 
they  have  heard.  And  why  is  it  not  equally  the. 
privilege  and  duty  of  ministers  to  meditate  and  im- 
plore a  blessing  on  what  they  have  said  ?  Nay,  has 
not  the  spiritual  guide  more  numerous  and  more 
solemn  reasons  for  following  all  his  efforts  with  his 
prayers,  than  any  other  person  ?  It  was  well  remarked 
by  an  old  divine,  that  "  the  minister  who  is  more 
before  his  people  in  public,  than  he  is  before  God 
for  them  in  private,  has  little  reason  to  expect  a 
blessing  on  his  labours," 


LETTER    XI. 


And  the  apostles  and  elders  came  together  for  to  consider  of  this 
matter. — Acts  xv.  6. 


CONDUCT  IN  CHURCH  JUDICATORIES. 

My  dear  young  frienb, 

I  have  repeatedly  had  occasion  to  observe,  that 
every  part  of  the  deportment  of  a  minister  is  im- 
portant, both  to  himself  and  the  church.  He  cannot 
be  said,  in  the  discharge  of  any  official  duty,  to  act 
for  himself  alone.  In  all  that  he  does,  the  whole 
body  of  Christ  has  an  interest.  But  this  remark  ap- 
plies to  no  part  of  his  duty  more  strongly,  than  that 
which  he  performs  as  a  member  of  the  judicatories 
of  the  church.  When  a  minister  takes  his  seat  in 
any  one  of  these  judicatories,  he  places  himself  in  a 
situation  in  which  every  thing  that  he  says  and  does, 
may,  for  what  he  can  tell,  exert  an  influence  to  the 
remotest  bounds  of  the  church  to  which  he  belongs, 
and  may  have  a  bearing  on  the  comfort,  respectability 
and  usefulness  of  his  brethren,  as  well  as  himself,  to 
an  extent  which  no  one,  at  present,  can  measure.  In 
this  situation,  he  is  called  continually  to  act  ivith 
others,  as  well  as  for  others;  and  almost  every  hour 


276  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

to  give  a  touch,  more  or  less  important,  to  the  ark 
of  God. 

To  suppose  "  a  steward  of  the  mysteries  of  God," 
capable  of  addressing  himself  to  duties  so  peculiarly- 
interesting  and  momentous  as  these,  with  levity  or 
indifference,  would  be  to  suppose  either  a  want  of 
consideration,  or  a  want  of  principle,  truly  deplorable. 
Here,  if  ever,  he  ought  to  be  awake  to  all  the  so- 
lemnity of  his  situation;  and  to  be  anxious  to  sum- 
mon to  his  aid  all  those  dictates  of  wisdom  and  holy 
fidelity  which  he  continually  needs.  He  who  does 
not  feel  deeply  serious,  when  he  is  about  to  deliberate, 
with  his  brethren,  on  the  great  concerns  of  the  Re- 
deemer's kingdom,  and  to  take  steps  which  may 
vitally  affect  that  kingdom,  not  only  in  a  single  con- 
gregation, but  in  many  congregations,  has  little  indeed 
of  the  spirit  of  a  "  watchman  on  the  walls  of  Zion." 
And  he  who  is  not  aware  of  the  danger,  that  his  own 
prejudices,  passions,  and  folly  may  interpose  an  un- 
hallowed influence  in  all  his  deliberations  and  discus- 
sions on  these  great  concerns,  will  not  be  likely  to  be 
much  employed  in  watching  and  praying  against  that 
influence. 

I  must  say,  that  there  appears  to  me  much  need  of 
attention  to  this  subject.  It  has  seldom  been  my  lot 
to  witness  the  proceedings  of  any  of  the  higher  judi- 
catories of  the  church,  either  as  a  member  or  spec- 
tator, without  having  occasion,  as  I  thought,  to  lament 
that  correct  views  and  habits,  in  relation  to  this  matter, 
were  not  more  prevalent.  I  have  seen  excellent  men 
expose  themselves,  give  pain  to  others,  and  even  em- 
barrass ecclesiastical  business,  by  mere  inadvertence. 
And  I  should  certainly  have  esteemed  it  a  happy  cir- 


HABITS  IN  JUDICATORIES.  277 

cumstance  for  myself,  if  I  had  been  jDut  on  my  guard, 
in  early  life,  against  many  of  those  mistakes  and  faults 
into  which  I  fell,  from  want  of  suitable  instruction 
and  training,  on  a  point  so  deeply  interesting  to  all 
who  wish  to  see  dignity,  order,  wisdom,  brotherly 
love,  and  piety,  marking  the  proceedings  of  every 
ecclesiastical  body. 

It  will  readily  occur  to  you  that  there  is  an  import- 
ance attached  to  this  subject  which  is  altogether 
peculiar.  In  state  legislatures,  in  congress,  and  in 
most  of  the  secular  deliberative  assemblies  which 
convene,  the  tivie  which  may  be  spent  in  their  ses- 
sions is  not  rigidly  limited.  If  the  debates  be  pro- 
tracted, and  they  cannot  complete  their  business  in 
three  or  four  weeks,  they  may  take,  if  they  see  proper, 
double  or  treble  that  period.  And  if  a  high  degree 
of  heat,  disorder,  or  even  violence  should  unfortu- 
nately mark  their  proceedings,  decent  people  may 
deplore  it,  but  the  great  interests  of  religion  may  not 
be  materially  compromitted,  inasmuch  as  they  are 
not  religious  bodies.  But  it  is  otherwise  with  our 
ecclesiastical  judicatories.  For  various  reasons,  they 
cannot  possibly  continue  to  sit  beyond  a  very  few 
days.  Every  moment,  therefore,  is  to  them  doubly 
precious.  Of  course,  every  moment's  interruption, 
and  every  unnecessary,  worthless  speech,  become 
serious  evils;  evils  to  the  cause  of  Christ:  and  when- 
ever heat,  disorder  or  violence  occur  among  the  min- 
isters and  elders  of  the  church,  religion  bleeds  at 
every  pore.  As  ecclesiastical  judicatories  are  purely 
religious  bodies^  so  they  ought  to  bear  a  reli- 
gious CHARACTER,  in  all  their  deliberations,  and  in 
every  movement.     Surely,  then,  this  is  a  concern  in 

Y 


278  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

which  all  our  wisdom  as  men,  and  all  our  piety  and 
prudence  as  Christians,  are  most  solemnly  put  in  re- 
quisition. 

This  subject  is  so  extensive  that  I  cannot  under- 
take to  consider  it  in  its  minute  details.  Permit  me, 
however,  to  suggest  a  few  general  counsels;  and 
to  accompany  each,  as  1  proceed,  with  some  brief 
explanatory  or  corroborative  remarks.     And 

1.  My  first  counsel  is  that  you  make  a  point 
or  being  perfectly  punctual  in  attending  on 

EVERY  JUDICATORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  WHICH  IT  IS 
YOUR  DUTY  TO  BE   PRESENT. 

This  is  a  duty  of  fiir  more  deep  and  vital  import- 
ance than  most  ministers  appear  to  imagine.  The 
faithful  discharge  of  it  bears  relations,  and  exerts  an 
influence  which,  unless  I  am  deceived,  are  seldom 
duly  considered.  Among  the  many  reasons  which 
might  be  urged  in  favour  of  this  opinion,  the  follow- 
ing are  certainly  entitled  to  your  serious  regard. 

(i)  Your  ordination  vows,  will  demand  constant 
attention  to  this  duty.  In  that  solemn  hour,  in  which 
you  kneel  before  God,  and,  surrounded  by  the  church 
and  her  ministry,  receive  the  imposition  of  "the 
hands  of  the  presbytery,"  you  will  promise  to  be 
"  subject  to  your  brethren  in  the  Lord,"  and  to  be 
"  faithful  and  diligent  in  the  discharge  of  all  the  pub- 
lic, as  well  as  the  private  duties  of  your  office." 
Now,  there  is  scarcely  zny  public  duty  more  import- 
ant than  that  for  which  I  am  pleading.  Of  course, 
he  who  neglects  it,  violates  his  solemn  engagements. 
Nor  is  this  all.  These  judicatories  form  an  essential 
feature  of  Presbyterian  church  government.  To 
abolish  them,  would  be  to  abolish  Presbyterianism. 


HABITS  IN  JUDICATOUIES.  279 

Consequently,  he  who  allows  himscll'  habitually  and 
unnecessarily  to  neglect  attendance  on  them — is  un- 
faithful to  his  solemn  profession — is  no  Presbyterian 
in  fact,  whatever  he  may  be  in  name. 

(2)  If  these  ecclesiastical  assemblies  ought  to  be 
maintained,  then  it  is  plain  that  all  who  arc  properly 
members,  ought  to  be  punctual  in  their  attendance, 
on  the  p7'inciples  hnlh  of  equity  and  benevolence. 
lie  wlio  neglects  them,  thereby  refuses  to  render  his 
share  of  service  to  the  church,  and  throws  an  addi- 
tional and  unequal  burden  on  those  of  his  brethren 
who  make  conscience  of  attending.  Is  this  consistent 
with  good  morals,  to  say  nothing  of  higher  con- 
siderations ?  It  is,  certainly,  not  doing  to  others,  as 
we  would  that  they,  in  like  circumstances,  should  do 
to  us. 

(3)  A  punctual  attendance  on  the  ecclesiastical 
judicatories  to  which  a  minister  belongs,  is  indis- 
jjensabte  to  his  attaining  a  high  and  desirable 
standing  among  his  brethren.,  and  enjoying  their 
affectionate  confidence.  It  is  the  remark  of  one  of 
the  wisest  and  most  venerated  ministers  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church  now  living,  that  "  he  has  never 
known  a  minister,  in  our  connexion,  who  was  either 
very  useful,  or  very  respectable,  that  did  not  give  his 
presence  at  presbytery,  synod,  and  assembly,  when- 
ever that  duty  became  incumbent."* 

The  reasons  are  many  and  obvious.  The  minister 
who  seldom  appears  among  his  brethren,  in  their 
ecclesiastical  meetings,  has,  commonly,  l)ut  little  in- 
tercourse  with   them,  as  ministers,   at  all.     He   is, 

*  Rev.  Dr.  Gref.x.  Charge,  at  the  Ordination  oJ'JMessrs.  J.  B- 
Litin,  &c. 


280  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

consequently,  but  little  known  to  them.  Of  course, 
he  cannot  possibly  enjoy  much  of  their  confidence, 
or  have  much  influence  among  them.  Thoy  see  little 
of  him  in  person;  but  they  habitually  witness  his 
negligence  and  deficiences.  Will  these  be  likely  to 
command  either  their  respect  or  their  love  ?  The 
minister,  then,  who  unnecessarily  absents  himself 
from  the  judicatories  of  the  church,  does  a  compli- 
cated injury  to  the  cause  of  Christ;  but  he  injures  his 
own  character,  standing,  and  influence  in  the  sacred 
office,  quite  as  much,  if  not  more  than  any  other  in- 
terest. 

(4)  A  punctual  attendance  on  the  ecclesiastical  as- 
semblies under  consideration,  is  the  best  school  in 
the  world  in  which  to  study  church  government. 
I  know  that  you  have  read  books,  and  heard  lectures 
on  this  department  of  theological  study.  But  the 
knowledge  derived  from  books  and  lectures,  is  apt  to 
be  theoretical,  and  to  make  but  a  slight  impression 
on  the  mind.  When  you  come  to  occupy  your  seat, 
and  act  your  part  in  ecclesiastical  judicatories,  you 
see  the  great  principles  of  church  government,  as  it 
were,  embodied  and  exhibited  in  actual  cases.  And 
being  called  upon  closely  to  contemplate  these  cases, 
to  study  them,  to  view  them  under  various  aspects, 
and  to  listen  to  ample  discussions  on  their  real  merits; 
— we  may  be  said,  in  these  circumstances,  to  enjoy 
advantages  for  investigating  principles,  and  having 
the  results  of  investigation  deeply  and  strongly  im- 
pressed upon  our  minds,  which  no  retired  study  can 
so  well  furnish.  Whatever  may  have  been  3'our  pre- 
vious reading,  never  expect  to  find  yourself  expert 
in,  comprehending  and  applying  the  great  dQQtrines 


HABITS  IN  JUDICATORIES.  281 

of  church  government,  unless  you  have  studied  them 
much  on  the  floor  of  judicatories.  If  you  carefully 
observe  what  passes,  you  will  observe  men  of  excel- 
lent minds,  who  are  not  in  the  habit  of  attending 
those  judicatories,  often  betraying  a  degree  of  igno- 
rance, on  some  of  tbe  very  first  principles  of  church 
discipline,  as  ludicrous  as  it  is  disreputable. 

(5)  Finally;  a  due  attendance  on  the  assemblies 
under  consideration,  is  one  of  the  best  means  of  ob- 
taining and  constantly  extending  and  improving  a 
connected  knowledge  of  the  fiistory  of  our  church. 
Whatever  other  part  of  ecclesiastical  history  a  min- 
ister is  ignorant  of,  he  ought,  certainly,  to  be  well 
acquainted  with  the  history  of  his  own  church;  and 
especially  of  that  portion  of  it  which  is  embraced 
within  his  own  time.  But  even  this  portion  will  not 
be  thoroughly  gained  and  kept  up  b}'  any  member 
who  is  not  in  the  constant  habit  of  attending  on  the 
judicatories  of  his  church.  Before  these  assemblies 
all  the  principal  facts  are  made  to  pass.  And  they 
appear  there  with  a  life  and  force  much  more  im- 
pressive, much  more  likely  to  be  remembered,  and 
in  connexions  and  circumstances  better  adapted  to 
leave  their  appropriate  lessons,  than  if  contemplated 
only  by  means  of  an  oral  statement,  or  a  printed 
page.  Show  me  a  Presbyterian  minister  who  is  fa- 
miliarly acquainted  with  the  history  of  his  own 
church,  and  especially  since  he  entered  her  ministry, 
and  I  will,  without  hesitation,  show  you  a  man  who 
has  been  constant  and  punctual  in  attending  on  her 
judicatories. 

It  is  evident,  then,  whether  wc  consider  the  hon- 
our of  our  religion — the  edification  of  the  church — 


282  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

the  fulfilment  of  our  official  vows — the  duty  which 
we  owe  to  our  fellow-servants — -the  promotion  of  our 
own  respectability  and  influence  among  our  clerical 
brethren — or  the  extension  and  improvement  of  our 
own  ecclesiastical  knowledge,  we  ought  to  make  a 
point  of  appearing,  as  punctually  as  possible,  in  every 
judicatory  of  the  church  in  which  we  have  a  right  to 
occupy  a  seat. 

2,  Make  a  point,  not  only  of  attending  every 

MEETING,  BUT  ALSO  OF  BEING  PUNCTUALLY  PRE- 
SENT   AT    THE    OPENING    OF  THE   JUDICATOHY.       It   is 

possible  that  the  first  acts  of  buisness  may  be,  deci- 
sively, the  most  important.  In  this  case,  tardiness 
may  be  quite  as  injurious  as  total  non-attendance. 
And  even  if  this  be  not  the  case,  as  most  commonly 
it  is  not;  a  variety  of  things  may  pass  before  your 
arrival,  absolutely  essential  to  an  intelligent  and  con- 
nected view  of  the  proceedings.  Let  no  ordinary 
engagement  interfere  with  jierfect  punctuality  in 
this  matter.  Be  on  the  ground  among  the  earliest;  and 
you  will  find  more  advantages  connected  with  such 
a  system  than  I  can  well  enumerate.  To  say  nothing 
of  many  other  considerations,  what  right  have  you 
to  occupy  the  time  and  swell  the  minutes  of  the 
judicatory  by  compelling  them  to  receive  and  record 
your  apologies  for  delinquency? 

3.  I  would  advise  you  to  prepare  for  attend- 
ance ON  EVERY  JUDICATORY,  BY  SERIOUS  RETIRE- 
MENT, MEDITATION  AND  PRAYER. 

If  every  "creature"  that  we  enjoy  ought  to  be 
"sanctified  by  the  word  of  God  and  prayer" — surely 
this  ought  to  be  more  especially  the  case  with  one  of 
the  most  important  official  duties  in  which  we  can 


HABITS  IN  JUDICATORIES.  283 

possibly  engage.  When  we  are  about  to  meet  with' 
our  fellow  servants,  as  a  judicatory  of  Jesus  Christ; 
to  deliberate  and  consult  respecting  the  interests  of 
the  Redeemer's  kingdom;  to  act  together,  in  our 
public  and  ministerial  character,  not  merely  for  the 
welfare  of  a  single  soul,  but  for  that  of  many  congre- 
gations, and  perhaps,  of  the  whole  church  with  which 
we  are  connected ;  and  when  we  know  not  how  fiir  the 
influence  of  what  we  say  and  do  may  extend; — surely 
we  ought  to  address  ourselves  to  all  such  duties,  with 
the  most  serious  consideration,  and  with  humble,  im- 
portunate prayer  for  all  that  wisdom,  and  guidance, 
and  strength  which  we  need.  I  had  almost  said,  if 
there  be  any  occasion  on  which  a  man  of  enlighten- 
ed piety  should  feel  serious  and  devout,  it  ought  to 
be  on  the  approach  of  such  an  assembly. 

Let  me  urge  3'oa,  then,  whenever  you  are  about 
to  attend  any  church  judicatory,  and  especially  those 
of  the  higher  kind,  in  all  the  movements  of  which 
large  and  momentous  interests  are  involved;  to  set 
apart  a  portion  of  time  for  special  prayer,  with  a 
particular  view  to  this  object.  If  you  be  alx>ut  to 
take  your  seat  in  a  synod  or  in  the  general  assembly, 
let  the  whole  day  before  you  set  out,  if  practicable, 
be  observed  as  a  day  of  solemn  prayer,  accompanied 
with  fasting.  If  the  discharge  of  necessary  duties 
preclude  the  possibility  of  this,  as  may  sometimes  be 
the  case,  make  a  point  of  redeeming  at  least  one  hour 
for  special  retirement  and  devotion,  in  reference  to 
your  anticipated  engagement.  And  in  this  solemn 
hour,  endeavour  to  ponder  deeply  in  your  heart,  and 
to  spread  before  the  Lord,  all  the  magnitude  and  dif- 
ficulty of  the  work  which  you  liave  in  prospect;  and 


284  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

all  the  temptations  and  dangers  to  which  you  may  be 
exposed,  from  your  own  infirmities,  and  those  of 
others.  Pray  that  you  may  be  inspired  with  hea- 
venly wisdom  in  all  the  business  that  may  come  be- 
fore you:  that  you  may  be  enabled  in  every  case,  ta 
take  just  views  of  truth  and  duty;  that  you  may  be 
guarded  from  prejudice,  from  passion,  and  from  every 
unhallowed  temper:  that  you  may  be  enabled  always 
to  act  from  the  purest  motives,  and  with  a  single  eye 
to  the  Redeemer's  honour:  that  you  may  be  preserved 
from  "  giving  a  wrong  touch  to  the  ark,"  either  igno- 
rantly  or  presumptuously:  that  you  may  not  be  per- 
mitted, unnecessarily  or  improperly,  to  wound  the 
feelings  of  those  with  whom  you  may  be  called  to 
act:  and  that,  in  all  the  proceedings  of  the  judicatory, 
you  may  be  enabled  to  judge  and  act  in  such  a  man- 
ner as  that  the  peace,  purity,  and  edification  of  the 
body  of  Christ  may  be  happily  promoted. 

Nor  ought  you  to  forget,  in  these  moments  of  hum- 
ble and  tender  approach  to  the  King  of  Zion,  to  pray 
for  the  brethren  with  whom  you  are  about  to  act,  as 
well  as  for  yourself.  Pray  that  they  may  be  so  en- 
lightened, aided,  sanctified,  counselled  and  controlled 
in  every  thing;  may  be  so  guarded  from  the  influence 
of  erroneous  views,  and  from  the  ebullitions  of  un- 
hallowed feeling,  that  "  all  things  may  be  done 
decently  and  in  order,"  and  may  issue  in  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  great  cause  of  truth  and  righteous- 
ness. If  every  member  of  ecclesiastical  judicatories 
attended  their  meetings,  respectively,  under  that  kind 
of  influence  which  such  exercises,  faithfully  con- 
ducted,  would    be   likely  to   inspire,  how   difierent 


HABITS  IN  JUDICATORIES.  285 

would  be  their  aspect  and  their  results,  from  those 
which  we  frequently  witness! 

4.  Not  only  engage  in  these  exercises  before  the 
judicatory  assembles;  but  endeavour  every  day, 

THROUGH  THE  WHOLE  OF  ITS  SESSIONS,  TO  RE- 
PEAT SIMILAR    EXERCISES     IN     REFERENCE    TO     THIS 

MATTER.  Ponder  much  and  frequently,  more  es- 
l)ecially  on  the  introduction  of  each  new  article  of 
business,  on  the  nature  and  importance  of  the  duties 
devolving  on  the  body.  Labour  and  pray  without 
ceasing,  that  a  deep  sense  of  the  majesty  and  glory 
of  Zion's  King;  of  the  unspeakably  interesting  char- 
acter of  his  kingdom;  and  of  the  solemnity  of  every 
step  which  has  a  bearing  on  that  kingdom,  may  dwell 
upon  your  own  mind,  and  the  minds  of  others,  in 
every  part  of  the  business  in  which  you  engage.  If 
you  desire  to  be  constantly  watchful,  constantly  wise, 
constantly  aided  and  directed  in  the  best  manner,  you 
must  daily  and  hourly  ask  for  it.  I  know  of  no  situa- 
tion in  which  you  will  more  urgently  need  the  con- 
stant supplies  of  heavenly  grace,  than  when  standing 
among  the  representatives  of  the  church,  to  consult 
respecting  her  delicate  and  dearest  interests. 

5.  When  you  take  your  seat  in  an  ecclesiastical 
assembly,  do  not  expect  too  much  of  the  pleasing 
and  edifying  kind.  I  have  known  some  young 
ministers,  who  the  first  time  they  attended  such  an 
assembly,  were  greatly  disappointed,  and  even  dis- 
gusted. They  had  formed  to  their  own  minds  a 
picture  of  ideal  excellence,  which  can  never  be 
realized  in  this  imperfect  world.  It  seemed  not  to 
have  occurred  to  them,  that  diversity  of  opinion,  and 
aa  ardent  raanner  of  expressing  opinioas,  on  bath 


286  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

sides,  would  be  likely,  in  any  case,  to  mark  the  pro- 
ceedings of  ecclesiastical  men.  They  forgot  that 
even  in  the  synod  of  Jerusalem,  made  up  as  it  was 
of  venerable  apostles  and  elders,  there  was  "  much 
disputing."  They  forgot  that  Paul  "  withstood 
Peter  to  the  face,"  because  he  thought  that  "  he  was 
to  be  blamed,"  on  a  certain  matter  of  ecclesiastical 
business,  to  which,  probably  the  inspiration  of  neither 
extended.  If  things  of  this  kind  occurred  //^ew,  how 
much  more  may  we  expect  them  to  occur  now? 
Besides,  it  ought  to  be  recollected,  that,  even  when 
an  assembly  of  ])ious  men  are  entirely  agreed  respect- 
ing the  general  propriety  of  a  certain  measure,  they 
may  differ  greatly,  and  not  without  reason,  as  to  the 
best  means  of  accomplishing  it;  and  it  were  hard, 
indeed,  to  deprive  them  of  the  privilege  of  discuss- 
ing, and  even  at  considerable  length,  the  probable 
tendency  of  the  alternate  means  proposed.  Every 
one  acquainted  with  ecclesiastical  bodies,  knows,  that, 
not  unfrequently,  those  who  were  most  warmly  in 
favour  of  a  projected  plan,  and,  in  the  outset,  most 
impatient  of  opposition  to  it,  have,  after  half  a  day's 
or  a  day's  discussion  of  the  subject,  seen  difficulties 
in  the  plan  which  they  had  not  discerned  before,  and 
become  quite  as  willing  to  abandon  it  as  any  persons 
present.  Who  can  tell  but  that  such  a  discussion, 
irksome  as  it  sometimes  is,  may  be  the  instrument  of 
more  good  to  the  church  of  God  than  half  a  dozen 
common  sermons?  That  this  may  be,  and,  indeed, 
often  has  been  the  case,  I  think  there  can  be  no  rea- 
sonable doubt. 

I  know  that  some  excellent  men,  of  a  querulous  or 
fastidious  turn   of   mind,    frequently  have   in   their 


HABITS  IN  JUDICATORIES.  287 

mouths  the  complaint  of  the  famous  Gregory  Nazi- 
(inzcn,  who  said  that  "  he  never  saw  any  good  result- 
ing from  synods  or  councils."  This  is  the  sentiment 
of  a  narrow  or  a  cynical  mind.  Did  no  good  result 
from  the  synod  whose  meeting  and  decrees  are  re- 
corded in  Acts  XV.  ?  Did  no  good  result  from  the 
Council  of  Carthage,  in  253;  from  that  of  Nice,  in 
325;  from  the  synod  of  Dort,  in  1618,  or  from  the 
assembly  of  divines  at  Westminster,  in  1643  ?  My 
dear  young  friend,  do  not  indulge  in  this  querulous 
temper.  Make  allowance  for  the  imperfections  of 
men.  If  you  see  any  thing  wrong  in  a  church  court, 
you  are  not  bound  to  approve  it.  Nay,  in  most  cases, 
you  are  bound  freely  and  openly  to  bear  testimony 
against  it.  But  to  indulge  a  disposition  to  condemn 
all  church  courts  in  the  gross,  because  we  occasion- 
ally see  what  is  undesirable  in  their  proceedings,  is 
just  as  unreasonable  as  to  condemn  all  civil  courts  of 
justice,  as  useless  or  pernicious,  because  we  now  and 
then  witness  a  revolting  scene,  arising  from  the  want 
of  skill  or  fidelity  in  those  who  conduct  them.  Let 
the  government  of  the  church  be  administered  under 
what  form  it  may,  human  frailty  will  attend  the  ad- 
ministration. While  you  mourn  over  this,  let  it  not 
tempt  you  to  become  disaffected  to  the  regular  sup- 
port of  ecclesiastical  government  and  discipline.  See 
that  as  little  as  may  be  of  this  frailty  be  found  with 
yourself;  and,  for  the  rest,  pray  without  ceasing 
that  it  may  be  restrained,  removed,  or  overruled  for 
good. 

6.  When  you  have  taken  your  seat  in  any  judica- 
tory, BE  CONSCIEKTIOUSLY  PUNCTUAL  IN  ATTENDING 


i 


288  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

ON  ALL  ITS  SESSIONS.       GiVE    YOURSELF    WHOLLY  TO 
THE  RUSINESS  OP  THE   BODY. 

There  is  a  fault,  in  this  respect,  which  is  indulged 
so  frequently,  and  to  such  an  extent,  as  to  produce 
an  amount  of  evil  truly  formidable.  It  is  well  known, 
that  a  number  of  those  who  attend  on  the  higher 
judicatories  of  the  church,  when  they  convene  in 
large  cities;  and  especially  of  those  who  are  com- 
missioned to  sit  in  the  General  Assembly,  at  Phila- 
delphia, employ  only  a  part,  and  sometimes  a  very 
small  part  of  their  time,  after  taking  their  seats,  in 
attending  to  the  duties  which  devolve  upon  them  as 
members.  They  make  no  scruple  of  engaging  in 
parties  of  pleasure,  and  in  plans  of  secular  business, 
which  take  them  away,  time  after  time,  for  a  number 
of  hours,  or  perhaps,  for  a  day  together  from  the 
body  which  they  professedly  came  to  attend;  and 
for  which,  perhaps,  they  receive  a  compensation. 
And,  even  when  they  in  a  sort  attend,  they  are 
scarcely  ever  punctually  present  at  the  hour  of  meet- 
ing; but  generally  from  half  an  hour  to  an  hour  be- 
hind the  time.  The  consequence  is,  that,  when 
inquired  for,  they  are  frequently  not  to  be  found  ; 
and  when  they  come  in,  it  is  often  in  the  midst  of  a 
discussion,  or  in  the  midst  of  the  reading  of  an  im- 
portant paper,  without  a  knowledge  of  which  the 
cause  under  consideration  cannot  possibly  be  under- 
stood. In  these  circumstances,  with  what  face  can 
a  conscientious  man  stand  up,  and  request  such  a 
paper  to  be  read  over  again,  and  a  statement  of  facts 
— it  may  be  a  long  one — made  before  his  arrival — 
to  be  repeated,  to  accommodate  him,  who  has  been 


HABITS  IX  JUDICATORIES.  289 

criminally  neglecting  his  duty  ?  Yet  he  must  either 
make  this  modest  request,  to  tlie  great  annoyance  of 
all  the  more  punctual  members;  or  forbear  to  vote 
when  the  cause  is  ultimately  decided;  or,  what 
is  still  worse,  for  the  sake  of  avoiding  trouble,  vote 
in  the  dark,  and  run  the  risk  of  giving  his  influence 
to  the  cause  of  falsehood  or  injustice. 

From  the  moment,  then,  that  you  take  your  seat 
in  any  judicatory,  I  counsel  you  to  make  a  point  of 
being  punctual  and  constant  in  your  attendance  on 
all  its  sessions.  Never  allow  yourself  to  be  absent 
a  single  moment,  if  you  can  possibly  avoid  it.  Ever 
be  among  the  number  of  those  who  make  conscience 
of  being  present  as  early  and  as  uniformly  as  the 
moderator;  who  never  leave  the  body  till  he  has 
descended  from  his  chair;  and  who  never  fail  to 
unite  in  those  prayers  for  the  divine  presence  and 
blessing  which  open  and  close  every  session.  In 
short,  be  exclusively  devoted  to  the  business  of  the 
judicatory.  As  far  as  may  be  necessary  for  unfailing 
attendance  until  it  is  finished,  lay  aside  every  inter- 
fering engagement  and  care.  The  advantages  of  this 
habit  are  so  numerous,  so  important,  and  so  obvious, 
that  I  am  persuaded  it  is  not  necessary  to  dwell  upon 
them  in  detail. 

7.  When  you  are  sitting  in  a  judicatory,  be  uni- 
formly ATTENTIVE  AND  DEVOTED  TO  THE  BUSINESS, 
AS  IT  IS  GOING  ON. 

It  is  very  possible  for  a  member  of  a  judicatory  to 
be  punctually  and  constantly  present  at  every  season; 
and  yet  to  pay  very  little  of  such  real  attention  to 
the  business  as  deserves  the  name.  Some  sit  reading 
a  newspaper,  or  a  new  pamphlet;  others  are,  a  great 
z 


290  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

part  of  the  time,  conversing  with  those  who  are  so 
unfortunate  as  to  sit  near  them;  sometimes  on  the 
subject  under  discussion,  but  more  frequently  on  one 
altogether  foreign.  And  this,  often,  at  the  expense 
of  disturbing  the  whole  assembly;  and,  at  any  rate, 
at  the  expense  of  turning  off  the  attention  of  all 
with  whom  they  converse,  for  the  time  being,  from 
the  subject  before  the  body.  I  have  seen  respectable 
and  excellent  men,  who  appeared  to  be  incapable  of 
sitting  silent  in  a  deliberative  assembly  for  five 
minutes  together;  who  rendered  themselves  con- 
spicuous by  whispei'ing  and  laughing  in  the  midst  of 
the  most  solemn  discussion;  and  who  came,  at  length, 
to  be  shunned  as  a  nuisance,  by  all  who  wished  to 
pay  a  fixed  and  undivided  attention  to  the  business 
before  the  judicatory. 

This  is  a  fault  which  every  one  who  regards  either 
his  reputation  or  his  usefulness,  ought  to  avoid.  Let 
secular  men,  in  their  assemblies,  walk  about,  and 
converse,  and  make  a  noise,  while  others  are  speak- 
ing. Let  them  be  regardless  of  the  feelings  of  their 
fellow  members;  let  them  violate  equally  the  laws  of 
urbanity  and  benevolence,  and  run  the  risk  of  dis- 
turbing the  whole  body  by  their  unceremonious 
expressions  of  indifference  or  contempt.  It  certainly 
ought  not  to  be  so  in  ecclesiastical  bodies.  There 
every  member  ought,  even  at  the  expense  of  no  little 
pain  to  himself,  to  learn  the  important  art  of  giving 
silent  and  close  attention  to  every  speaker,  and  to  all 
that  passes.  Whenever  he  attempts  to  hold  a  private 
conversation,  in  the  midst  of  business,  with  a  fellow 
member,  his  own  attention  is,  of  course,  for  the  mo- 
ment, withdrawn  from  what  is  going  on;  and  he  treats 


HABITS  IN  JUDICATORIES.  291 

his  fellow  member  badly,  by  constraining  him,  per- 
haps against  his  inclination,  to  be  guilty  of  the  same 
ill  manners  with  himself,  I  have  often  known  a 
member,  after  having  his  own  attention,  and  that  of 
one  or  two  others,  thus  withdrawn,  for  a  few  minutes, 
by  a  private  conversation,  to  rise  and  ask  questions, 
or  make  a  speech,  which  he  would  never  have 
thought  of  uttering,  if  he  had  heard  what  passed 
while  his  attention  was  diverted.  Respect  for  your 
brethren,  then;  respect  for  yourself;  and  regard  to 
the  proper  order  and  despatch  of  business,  should 
all  prompt  3'ou  early  to  fix  the  habit  of  paying  unin- 
terrupted attention  to  the  business  of  every  judicatory 
in  which  you  are  sitting.  Resist  every  solicitation 
to  the  contrary,  from  whatever  quarter  it  may  come. 
Never  allow  yourself  on  any  occasion,  except  one 
of  the  extremest  urgency,  to  go  into  a  deliberative 
assembly,  and  call  out  a  member,  in  the  midst  of  a 
debate,  for  the  purpose  of  conversing  with  him;  nor 
allow  yourself,  in  similar  circumstances,  to  be  called 
out.  During  the  ten  minutes  which  may  pass  in  such 
an  absence,  the  most  important  statements  and  rea- 
sonings relating  to  the  cause  in  hand,  may  be  pre- 
sented. They,  of  course,  will  be  lost  to  you.  And 
by  giving  your  vote,  without  a  knowledge  of  them, 
you  may  be  quite  as  likely  to  trample  on  truth  and 
justice  as  to  support  them.  I  have  often  wondered 
how  conscientious  men,  when  they  reflected  that,  by 
occupying  a  seat  in  the  judicatory,  they  had  a  solemn 
TRUST  committed  to  them,  could  so  frequently  abuse 
it  in  the  manner  that  has  been  suggested.  Especially 
have  I  wondered  to  see  this  so  frequently  done  in  the 
general  assembly,  by  men  formally  delegated,  as  the 


292  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

representatives  of  presbyteries,  to  perform  a  certain 
duty;  and  above  all,  perhaps,  by  a  man  who  was  the 
only  commissioner  present  to  represent  the  presby- 
texy  from  which  he  came!  Surely  such  an  one  is 
peculiarly  bound  to  be  always  present,  to  neglect 
nothing,  and  to  let  nothing  that  passes  escape  him. 

8.  When  you  take  your  seat  in  any  judicatory, 
especially  in  one  of  the  higher  classes,  I  would  ear- 
nestly recommend  that  you  carry  in  your  pocket 

A  COPY  OF  THE  RULES  OF  THE  BOBY,  AND  THAT  YOU 
CAREFULLY  AND  REPEATEDLY  READ  THEM  OVER  BE- 
FORE  BUSINESS  COMMENCES. 

Few  young  ministers,  and,  indeed,  few  of  any  age, 
are  so  perfectly  familiar  with  the  rules  of  judicato- 
ries, as  not  to  be  the  better  for  having  their  memories 
refreshed  by  repeated  reperusals.  This  is  evident 
from  the  frequency  with  which  the  plainest  rules  are 
violated,  not  by  the  inexperienced  merely;  but  by 
those,  who  ought,  long  since,  to  have  known  better. 
Do  not  think  it  superfluous,  then,  to  aid  your  memory 
by  a  new  perusal  every  time  you  are  called  upon 
anew  to  take  your  seat  in  a  church  court.  Endeavour 
to  render  the  rules  in  question  as  familiar  to  your 
inind  as  the  alphabet;  so  that  at  length,  even  an 
inadvertent  infraction  of  them  may  be  impracticable. 
The  advantages  which  this  will  confer  upon  you  in 
the  transaction  of  business,  will  be  numberless,  and 
of  inestimable  value.  It  will  not  only  prevent  you 
from  falling  into  many  a  blunder  yourself;  but  will 
also  give  you  an  influence  among  your  brethren,  and 
impart  a  weight  to  your  opinion  on  points  of  order,, 
which  no  man  ought  to  deem  of  small  value.  Be- 
sides; in,  the  course  of  the  business  an  ap,peal  to.  the 


HABITS  IN  JUDICATORIES.  293 

"  Form  of  Government"  of  the  church  often  becomes 
necessary.  If  you  have  no  copy  of  your  own  in 
your  pocket,  you  must  walk  from  one  part  of  the 
house  to  another  to  obtain  a  sight  of  it.  This  una- 
voidably gives  rise  to  noise  and  disorder.  Only 
suppose  a  number  of  members  in  this  destitute  situa- 
tion, and  under  the  necessity  of  doing  the  same  thing, 
and  how  much  confusion  becomes  inevitable! 

9.   I  would  earnestly  advise  every  young  minister 

TO  SPEAK  VERY  LITTLE  THE  FIRST  TWO  OR  THREE 
TIMES  THAT  HE  OCCUPIES  A  SEAT  IN  THE  HIGHER 
JUDICATORIES  OF  THE   CHURCH. 

The  late  venerable  Dr.  Bod^ers  of  New  York, 
often  mentioned  to  me,  that  during  the  first  two  or 
three  sessions  of  the  old  Synod  (then  the  highest 
judicatory  of  our  church)  which  he  attended,  when  a 
young  man,  he  never  opened  his  lips,  unless  it  were 
to  ask  a  question,  or,  by  a  word  or  two,  modestly  to 
solicit  information.  And  he  often  expressed  the 
deepest  disgust,  when  he  saw  young  men,  the  very 
first  time  they  appeared  in  a  synod,  or  a  general  as- 
sembly, making  more  frequent  and  longer  speeches 
than,  perhaps,  any  other  individuals  in  the  body. 
Many  a  young  minister,  in  the  outset  of  his  official 
career,  has  lowered  his  own  character  for  wisdom  and 
discretion,  a  number  of  degrees,  in  the  estimation  of 
his  brethren,  by  allowing  himself  to  take  such  a 
course.  So  flagrant  a  violation  of  every  principle  of 
dignity  and  prudence  is  apt  to  be  long  remembered. 

The  art  of  transacting  business  wisely,  expedi- 
tiously, and  with  suitable  temper,  in  a  deliberative 
assembly,  is  not  to  be  learned  in  an  hour,  or  a  day. 
To  do  it  well,  requires  close  observation;  considera- 


294  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

ble  experience;  watching  the  manner,  course,  and 
success  of  the  best  models;  much  attention  to  the  dis- 
cipline of  our  own  feelings;  and  a  frequent  conning 
over  the  lesson — which  we  are  always  slow  to  learn 
— that  other  people  have  knowledge  and  wisdom,  as 
well  as  we;  and  that  opposing  us,  is  not  always,  in- 
fallible testimony  that  our  opponent  is  wrong.  All 
this  requires  time.  The  first  two  sessions  of  eccle- 
siastical bodies  that  you  attend,  then,  are  by  no  means 
too  much  for  you  to  pass  as  a  close,  vigilant,  silent 
learner.  Rely  on  it,  for  any  young  minister  to  wish 
that  distinguished  precocity  should  mark  his  efforts 
as  a  speaker  in  church  courts,  is  seldom — nay — never 
wise. 

Your  own  good  sense,  my  dear  sir,  will  readily 
suggest  to  you,  that  the  general  rule  which  I  have 
here  laid  down,  is,  in  some  cases,  at  least,  to  be  fol- 
lowed with  much  allowance.  Sometimes  a  very 
young  minister  may  be  the  only  member  present 
from  a  quarter  of  the  church  from  which  important 
information  is  desired.  In  this  case,  he  must  give  it, 
or  it  cannot  be  received.  It  may  happen,  too,  that 
when  a  deeply  interesting  cause  is  about  to  be  de- 
cided, a  member  who  attends  for  the  first  time,  may 
be  in  possession  of  facts  and  views  in  relation  to  it 
which  appear  to  him  exceedingly  important  in  lead- 
ing to  a  just  decision.  In  such  a  case  he  certainly 
ought  not  to  shrink  from  the  task  of  imparting  them. 
But,  in  all  cases  whatsoever,  in  which  a  very  young 
member  rises  in  a  Synod,  or  in  a  General  Assembly, 
let  it  be  manifest  that  he  does  it  reluctantly.  Let  it 
be  seen  that  he  is  actuated  by  an  anavoidable  call  of 
duty.     Let  modesty  and  humility  mark  every  word 


HABITS  IN  JUDICATORIES.  295 

he  utters.  Let  there  be  no  impassioned  oratory ,  no 
positiveness,  and  no  reference  to  what  has  been  said 
by  others,  but  with  the  most  filial  respectfulness. 

10.  During  the  first  ten  years  of  your  ministry,  do 
not,  in  ordinary  cases,  rise  to  expressyour  opinion  in 
church  judicatories,  until  you  have  heard  some 

OF  THE  more   aged  AND  EXPERIENCED  EXPRESS 

THEIRS.  If  there  be  any  situation  in  which  we 
should  suffer  age  to  speak,  and  gray  hairs  to  teach 
wisdom,  it  is  in  church  courts,  where  experience  and 
piety  are  the  best  counsellors.  In  the  earlier  periods 
of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  church  of  Scotland, 
young  men  seldom  rose  to  speak  until  they  were  in- 
vited by  the  moderator,  and  never  until  a  number  of 
their  superiors  in  age  had  previously  delivered  their 
judgments. — In  later  times  the  practice  has  been  in  a 
considerable  degree  different  in  that  respectable  body. 
In  the  Associations  of  New  England,  a  very  digni- 
fied example  in  this  respect  has  been  long  set,  and  is 
still,  it  is  believed,  retained.  My  advice  is  that  you 
imitate  this  example.  The  more  carefully  and  uni- 
formly you  do  so,  the  more  likely  will  you  be  to 
judge  wisely,  to  speak  to  the  purpose,  and  to  prove  a 
blessing  instead  of  a  nuisance  in  every  church  court  in 
which  you  appear. 

11.  Guard  against  very  frequent,  or  very 
long  speaking,  in  ecclesiastical  judicatories, 
at  any  age. 

No  member  of  any  deliberative  assembly,  either 
ecclesiastical  or  civil,  ever  allowed  himself  to  be  a 
very  frequent  or  a  very  long  speaker,  without  de- 
pressing his  influence,  and  of  course  diminishing  the 


296  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

respect  with  which  he  was  heard.  Whatever  a  man's- 
talents  may  be,  he  must  not  be  upon  his  feet  on 
every  question,  or  he  will  soon  be  made  to  feel  that 
he  cannot  command  the  undivided  and  respectful  at- 
tention of  his  audience  on  any  question. 

The  celebrated  Dr.  Witherspoon  spoke  very  sel- 
dom in  church  courts;  and  his  speeches  were  very 
rarely  longer  than  from  ten  to  twenty-five  or  thirty 
minutes.  He  generally  waited  until  he  heard  a 
number  of  other  speakers,  and  until,  from  the  debates 
on  both  sides,  he  was  confident  that  he  was  in  pos- 
session of  all  the  principal  facts,  and  of  the  principal 
arguments  on  which  each  party  relied.  Hence  his 
speeches  were  always  directly  to  tlie  purpose;  never 
tedious;  and  commonly  in  a  high  degree  lucid  and 
convincing.  He  was  able,  in  this  way,  to  disentangle 
the  most  complicated  subjects,  and  to  take  the  most 
impartial  views;  and  seldom  failed  of  carrying  with 
him  a  large  majority  of  the  body.  Few  men,  indeed, 
can  be  compared  with  Dr.  Witherspoon,  who  was 
entitled  and  expected  to  take  the  lead  in  every  as- 
sembly of  which  he  was  a  member,  and  who  was,  in 
every  view,  warranted  in  reserving  himself  for  im- 
portant occasions.  Every  one,  of  course,  is  not 
qualified  to  aim  at  that  which  he,  often,  most  happily 
accomplished;  to  close  a  debate;  to  sum  up  both  tes- 
timony and  argument;  and  to  wield  the  judgments  of 
a  hundred  individuals.  But  still  the  leading  princi- 
ples upon  which  he  acted,  are  those  upon  which 
every  man  ought  to  act.  They  were  these — Never 
to  rise  until  he  had  good  reason  to  think  that  he  un- 
derstood the  subject;  never  but  when  he  had  some- 


HABITS  IN  JUDICATORIES.  297 

thing  really  important  to  say; — to  say  it  in  the  short- 
est, clearest,  and  most  unostentatious  manner  possible; 
— and  when  he  had  done,  to — sit  down. 

It  is  not  uncommon  for  youthful  and  ardent  speak- 
ers to  "  take  the  floor,"  as  the  parliamentary  language 
is,  at  the  very  commencement  of  a  debate.  In  this 
headlong  course,  they  seldom  fail  to  discover  in  a 
few  minutes,  that  they  are  altogether  unfurnished 
with  the  information  requisite  to  an  intelligent  and 
just  discussion  of  the  subject.  But  this  is  not  the 
worst.  Having  fully  committed  themselves  by  this 
precipitate  expression  of  opinion,  they  feel  it  diffi- 
cult, if  not  impossible  to  retract;  and  are  tempted 
to  employ  all  their  ingenuity,  and  to  make  many 
speeches,  to  patch  and  support  their  ill  commenced 
work.  Many  a  florid  and  ingenious  declamation, 
and  many  a  final  vote,  have  been  thus  thrown  away 
upon  a  miserable  effort  to  appear  consistent,  when  a 
little  later  speaking,  and  a  little  less  speaking,  would 

have  answered  the  purpose  far   better.- Believe 

me,  there  are  few  situations  in  which  it  is  more  im- 
portant to  the  speaker  himself,  as  well  as  to  the  com- 
fort and  real  benefit  of  the  judicatory,  to  have  "  his 
words  few  and  well  ordered." 

12,  Never  rise  to  speak  on  any  occasion,  without 
solemnly  examining  your  motives  for  speak- 
ing, reflecting  distinctly  on  the  presence  of 
God,  and  silently  but  fervently  imploring 
HIS  blessing  and  aid.  Be  faithful  with  yourself. 
Set  a  guard,  afresh,  on  your  feelings  and  words.  And 
beseech  him  who  has  the  hearts  and  the  tongues  of 
all  in  his  hands,  to  preside  over  all  that  you  say.  If 
this  were  constantly  done,  how  many  hasty  speeches^ 


298  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

how  many  petulant  speeches;  how  many  ostenta- 
tious speeches;  how  many  retaliating,  passionate 
speeches,  would  be  banished  from  the  assemblies  of 
the  church! 

13.  Never  insist  on  speaking  when  the  call 
for  the  question  becomes  importunate. 

He  is  very  unwise  who  does  this.  When  an  as- 
sembly has  become  wearied,  impatient,  and  unwil- 
ling to  hear,  the  best  speech,  in  most  cases,  is  thrown 
away.  It  is  not  merely  not  heard  respectfully,  it  is 
often  not  heard  at  all.  Never  attempt  to  speak  in 
such  a  state  of  an  ecclesiastical  body,  unless  you  are 
very  sure  that  you  have  something  new  and  weighty 
to  offer.  Frequent  trespasses  of  this  kind  on  the 
patience  of  a  deliberative  body,  not  only  tend  to 
diminish  the  influence  of  him  who  is  guilty  of  them; 
but  they  also  tend  to  irritate  and  exhaust  the  assem- 
bly, and  to  prevent  the  succeeding  articles  of  business 
from  being  well  done.  He  who  wastes  the  time  of 
such  a  body,  is  one  of  the  worst  foes  to  its  comfort, 
its  honour,  and  its  usefulness. 

14.  On  whatever  occasion  you  may  think  it  your 
duty  to  speak  in  an  ecclesiastical  judicatory,  care- 
fully AVOID    ALL    HARSH,  SATIRICAL,  SARCASTICAL, 

ACRIMONIOUS     LANGUAGE. LeT      NOTHING     ESCAPE 

YOU  THAT  IS  ADAPTED  TO  WOUND  FEELINGS,  OR  TO 
PRODUCE  UNDUE   WARMTH. 

It  is  not  an  uncommon  thing  for  very  worthy  men, 
when  they  come  to  act  in  deliberative  assemblies,  to 
be  extremely  impatient  of  contradiction;  to  be  always 
in  a  degree,  and  sometimes  deeply  excited  whenever 
they  are  opposed  in  their  favourite  plans.  This 
arises,  in  some,  from  extreme  nervous  irritability, 


HABITS  IN  JUDICATORIES.  299 

which,  in  spite  of  their  better  judgment,  always 
throws  them  off  their  guard  when  the  least  opposi- 
tion occurs.  In  others,  unbridled  peevishness,  or 
arrogance  prompt  them  to  consider  every  kind  of 
resistance  to  the  measures  which  they  propose  as  a 
personal  affront,  and  treat  it  accordingly.  Let  me 
earnestly  exhort  you  to  set  a  strong  guard  against 
every  thing  of  this  kind.  Whatever  opposition  may 
arise,  study  always  to  be  composed  and  self-possessed, 
and  endeavour  to  fix  in  your  mind,  once  for  all,  that 
others  have  just  as  much  right  to  differ  fi'om  you  as 
you  have  to  differ  from  them. 

Again;  some  speakers,  in  ecclesiastical,  as  well  as 
other  assemblies,  seem  to  consider  it  as  lawful  to  use 
almost  any  kind  of  weapon  that  will  enable  them  to 
carry  their  point.  Hence  they  endeavour  to  be 
witty  at  the  expense  of  their  opposing  brethren;  they 
speak  with  extreme  severity  of  their  arguments,  of 
their  motives,  aud  even  of  their  persons;  and  express 
their  astonishment  that  men  of  "  common  sense,  and 
common  honesty"  should  attempt  to  advocate  senti- 
ments so  "  palpably  absurd,"  and  so  evidently  "  sub- 
versive of  all  sound  principle."  And  it  is  well  if 
they  do  not  sometimes  indulge  in  language  still  more 
coarse  and  opprobious.  Never  give  countenance,  by 
your  example,  to  this  mode  of  conducting  debate 
among  brethren  in  Christ.  Remember  that  ministers 
and  elders,  assembled  in  solemn  council  to  deliberate 
on  the  interests  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom,  are 
neither  bloody  gladiators,  nor  artful  pugilists,  nor 
snarling  politicians.  Of  course,  none  of  the  language 
or  habits  pardonable  in  such  characters,  ought  ever  to 
be  witnessed  among  them.     Never  employ  language 


300  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

toward  any  fellow  member  which  you  would  not  be 
willing  to  have  directed  toward  yourself.  Treat 
every  brother,  and  his  arguments,  in  a  respectful  and 
fraternal  manner.  There  is  a  respect  due  to  their 
office  and  situation,  which  may  not  be  always  due 
to  ihext  persons.  While  you  maintain  your  opinions 
with  firmness,  and  express  them  with  candour,  load 
no  man  with  reproaches  for  differing  from  you;  im- 
peach no  motives;  insinuate  no  unkind  suspicions; 
make  no  one's  person  or  reasoning  an  object  of 
ridicule;  carefully  guard  against  every  turn  of  thought 
or  expression  adapted  to  irritate: — In  a  word,  let  the 
old  maxim—"  soft  words  and  hard  arguments;"  or 
rather  the  scriptural  injunction  of  constantly  endea- 
vouring to  imitate  "  the  meekness  and  gentleness  of 
Christ,"  give  character  to  every  sentence  you  utter 
in  an  ecclesiastical  assembly.  That  this  manner  of 
conducting  debates  in  ecclesiastical  courts  is  best 
adapted  to  promote  peace,  love,  and  edification,  every 
one  is  ready  to  acknowledge.  And  further,  that  he 
who  resolutely  refuses  to  employ  any  other  weapons 
than  those  of  the  purely  Christian  character  which 
have  been  mentioned,  is  most  likely  to  make  friends, 
and  to  be  respected,  even  by  his  opponents,  is  quite 
as  generally  confessed.  But  this  is  not  all.  Such  a 
man  is  more  likely  to  gain  the  victory  in  argu- 
ment, and  thus  to  carry  his  point,  than  the  sarcastic 
and  acrimonious  debater.  Surely,  then,  the  disposi- 
tion to  employ,  in  the  conflicts  of  ecclesiastical  as- 
semblies, those  poisoned  weapons,  to  which  the 
children  of  this  world  so  often  resort  in  their  assem- 
blies, is,  of  all  propensities,  one  of  the  most  inex- 
cusable; since  they  are  as  injurious  to  the  cause  of 


HABITS  IN  JUDICATORIES.  301 

him  who  employs  them,  as  they  are  ofTensive  to  all 
pious  and  delicate  minds. 

It  is  impossible  for  me  to  avoid  recollecting  here 
some  venerable  ministers  of  our  church,  of  what  may 
be  called  the  old-school,  with  whom  it  was  my  hap- 
piness to  be  acquainted  in  early  life,  and  who,  in 
reference  to  the  point  under  consideration,  left  a  noble 
example.  They  spoke,  in  judicatories,  as  men  who 
remembered  that  they  were  servants  of  Christ,  and 
wex'e  assembled  to  advance  the  interests  of  "pure  and 
undefilcd  religion."  No  coarseness,  abuse,  sarcasm, 
or  unseasonable  levity  ever  escaped  their  lips.  I 
have  heard  them  reply  to  weak,  petulant,  and  even 
highly  offensive  speeches,  with  a  meekness,  benevo- 
lence and  dignity,  which  excited  the  admiration  of 
all,  and  which  more  effectually  mortified  and  hum- 
bled their  indelicate  opponents,  than  a  thousand  vol- 
lies  in  their  own  style  could  have  done.  Such  men 
are  too  rare  in  any  church.  Would  that  their  mantles 
might  be  found  resting  on  the  shoulders  of  many  who 
came  after  them! 

15.  While  you  treat  the  opinions  of  every  fellow 
member  with  respect,  you  ought  to  treat  those 

OF  the  more  aged  and  EXPERIENCED  WITH  PECU- 
LIAR DEFERENCE.  Remember  that  such  men  have  not 
only  seen  Tnore  years  than  yourself;  but  that  they 
have  been  long  accustomed  to  the  consideration  of 
such  questions,  and  the  routine  and  difficulties  of  such 
business  as  may  come  before  you.  It  is,  therefore, 
not  merely  desirable  that  you  should  hear  their 
opinions,  if  possible,  on  any  subject  under  discussion, 
before  you  make  up  your  mind  upon  it;  but  when 
they  have  uttered  those  opinions,  it  behooves  you, 
•i  K 


302  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

however  they  may  differ  from  your  own,  to  treat 
them  with  the  profoundest  respect.  And  if  you  are 
constrained  to  express  a  different  opinion,  let  it  be 
done  with  modesty,  and  even  with  caution.  Oppose 
them  rather  by  stating  the  objections  to  their  views 
which  occur  to  your  mind,  and  inquiring  what  can 
be  offered  for  their  removal,  than  by  direct  or  confi- 
dent attack.  Let  it  be  seen  that  you  differ  from  them 
with  reluctance,  and  with  much  diffidence.  And 
when  you  refer  to  any  thing  which  has  been  uttered 
by  them,  in  which  you  cannot  concur,  let  it  be  with 
something  of  that  filial  reverence  with  which  you 
ought  ever  to  regard  their  persons.  While  you  do 
this,  however,  do  not  fall  into  the  extreme  of  those, 
who,  when  they  differ,  in  ecclesiastical  assemblies, 
from  an  individual  venerable  for  age  or  standing, 
do  it  with  so  many  circuitous  apologies,  and  so  much 
fulsome  flattery;  protesting  how  much  it  pains  them 
to  oppose  a  father  so  "  learned,"  so  "  pious,"  so 
"  illustrious,"  &c.,  that  every  person  of  just  taste  is 
disgusted.  Let  your  respect  for  their  persons  and 
opinions  be  manifested  by  your  general  air,  tones, 
and  manner,  rather  than  by  any  direct  eulogies  on 
their  character,  which  it  is  difficult  to  express  in  a 
happy  manner,  and  which  had  better  always  be 
omitted. 

16.  Be  careful  to  maintain  habitual  gravity 
in  all  ecclesiastical  courts,  and  especially  in  those  of 
the  higher  class.  Can  it  require  a  moment's  reason- 
ing to  show,  that  when  the  ministers  and  elders  of 
the  church  of  Christ  are  assembled  to  deliberate  on 
the  most  deeply  momentous  and  solemn  interests 
which  can  possibly  occupy  the  attention  of  mortals. 


HABITS  IN  JUDICATORIES.  303 

they  ought  to  be  serious,  sober,  and  to  avoid  every 
thing  that  approaches  to  levity  ?  One  would  think 
that  the  very  lowest  standard  of  propriety  that  could 
be  adopted  by  any  thinking  man,  would  require  this. 
And  yet,  such  is  the  frailty  of  our  nature,  and  such 
the  temptation  frequently  arising  from  the  grega- 
rious principle,  if  I  may  so  express  it,  that  in  our 
larger  ecclesiastical  bodies,  and  especially  in  the 
General  Assembly,  it  often  happens  that  gravity  is 
interrupted  to  a  painful  extent,  and  that  some  of  the 
most  devout  men  are  frequently  borne  away  by  the 
power  of  S3'mpathy.  Indeed  some  ecclesiastical 
debaters  avowedly  act  on  the  plan  of  carrying  their 
point  by  almost  any  of  those  weapons  which  are 
admissible  in  secular  asscmlilies,  and,  among  the 
rest,  by  the  broadest  and  most  undisguised  ridicule. 
Hence,  if  they  can  so  manage  as  to  excite  a  burst  of 
laughter  at  the  expense  of  an  opponent,  they  are 
peculiarly  gratified.  I  cannot  believe  that  this  is  a 
proper  mode  of  conducting  ecclesiastical  business. 
It  is  an  offence,  in  my  opinion,  both  against  Chris- 
tian dignity,  and  Christian  benevolence.  Let  me 
not  be  told  that  the  use  of  ridicule,  as  a  weapon  in 
debate,  is  indulged  to  a  far  greater  extent  in  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  church  of  ScoUund,  than 
it  has  ever  been  in  any  of  our  judicatories.  I  know 
it.  But  this  is  no  justification.  Such  scenes  as  have 
been  often  exhibited  in  that  venerable  body,  within 
the  last  thirty  or  forty  years,  would  not  have  been 
tolerated  in  the  better  days  of  the  church  of  which 
it  is  the  supreme  judicatory.  Knox  and  Melville, 
in  their  day,  or  Header so7i,  Rutherford  and  Gil- 
lespie, in  theirs,  would  have  "  groaned  in  spirit," 


304  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

and  poured  forth  the  majesty  of  apostolical  rehuke, 
if  they  had  witnessed  many  a  debate,  which,  within 
the  last  quarter  of  a  century,  has  passed  without 
reproof,  and  perhaps  (such  is  the  power  of  habit) 
without  regret.  If  this  decline  of  dignity  is  to  be 
attributed,  in  any  measure,  to  the  decline  of  the 
spirit  of  primitive  piety  in  that  church;  it  may  also, 
perhaps,  be,  in  part,  owing  to  the  increased  fre- 
quency and  freedom  with  which  distinguished  bar- 
risters are  introduced,  to  plead  the  causes  which 
come  before  the  Assembly; — men  so  much  in  the 
habit  of  taking  all  kinds  of  liberty  in  their  pleadings, 
that  it  is  not  possible  even  for  an  ecclesiastical  court 
always  to  keep  them  within  their  proper  bounds; — 
men  whose  professions  of  reverence  are  often  little 
better  than  half-concealed  irony,  and  solemn  mockery; 
and  whose  example  cannot  fail  to  exert  a  most  per- 
nicious influence. 

17.  Do  not  think  me  too  minute,  if  I  guard  you 
against  a  frequent  change  op  your  seat,  and 
MUCH  MOVING  ABOUT,  during  the  proceedings  of  an 
ecclesiastical  assembly.  There  are  those  who  ap- 
pear, probably  from  a  bad  habit,  rather  than  any 
thing  else,  incapable  of  sitting  still  many  minutes  at 
a  time,  even  in  a  church  judicatory.  You  may  see 
them,  perhaps,  in  a  dozen  or  twenty  different  parts 
of  the  house,  in  the  course  of  one  forenoon.  This  is 
a  practice  as  undignified  as  it  is  mischievous.  It 
is  almost  incompatible  with  fixed  attention  to  the 
business  of  the  body.  It  necessarily  leads  to  more 
or  less  noise  and  confusion,  and  thus  interrupts  the 
attention  of  others,  as  well  as  our  own.  What  would 
be  the  consequence  if  every  member  of  such  an  ^s- 


HABITS  IN  JUDICATORIES.  305 

sembly  were  to  be  thus  continually  changing  his 
place  ?  It  is  evident  that  all  composed  attention  to 
business  would  be  impracticable.  Rely  upon  it,  that 
learning  the  art  of  sitting  still  in  a  deliberative 
assembly,  is,  in  itself,  a  matter  of  no  small  value. 
Choose  a  seat,  then,  in  the  beginning,  as  much 
adajjted  to  your  convenience  as  you  can  select.  Re- 
tain it,  without  some  good  reason  for  a  change,  as 
long  as  the  body  continues  to  sit.  Be  always  found 
there.  However  irksome  this  may  be  at  first,  habit 
will  soon  reconcile,  and  afterwards  attach  you  to  the 
practice;  and  if  generally  practised,  its  advantages 
would  be  great  indeed. 

IS.  Remember  that  every  thing  which  is  in- 
tended  TO   be   well   done   in   a  church  court, 

OUGHT  TO  BE  WELL  PREPARED  OUT  OF  DOORS  BE- 
FORE  IT  IS  INTRODUCED. 

There  are  men — even  good  men — who  take  a  sort 
of  pride  in  being  considered  as  the  unprompted  and 
unaided  authors  of  certain  favourite  measures, 
wliicii  they  wish  to  distinguish  themselves  by  bring- 
ing forward.  Hence  they  take  counsel  with  none, 
suggest  even  their  purpose  to  none,  until  it  is  made 
the  subject  of  a  public  motion.  There  is  a  littleness 
in  this,  unworthy  of  a  truly  elevated  mind;  and  it  is 
as  indiscreet  as  it  is  little.  He  who  is  about  to  in- 
troduce an  important  proposal  into  an  ecclesiastical 
assembly,  ought  to  remember  that  he  can  have  no 
private  or  selfish  interest  in  the  proposed  measure; 
and,  therefore,  that  he  ought  not  to  desire  to  carry 
it,  unless  it  be  really  adapted  to  promote  the  cause 
of  truth  and  righteousness.  And  in  order  to  ascer- 
tain this,  he  ought,  in  all  cases,  to  be  desirous  of 
8  A* 


306  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

knowing  how  the  aged,  the  wise,  the  experienced, 
and  the  pious,  regard  his  projected  measure.  If 
they  unanimously,  or  generally  disapprove  it,  he 
ought  to  be  very  certain  of  its  wisdom,  and  of  their 
being  under  a  mistake,  before  he  brings  it  forward. 

Let  me  advise  you,  then,  when  you  are  about  to 
bring  any  important  plan  or  measure  before  a  church 
judicatory,  always  to  consult  at  least  some  of  the 
most  judicious,  prudent,  pious  and  influential  mem- 
bers of  the  body,  beforehand,  out  of  doors;  taking 
their  opinions  of  the  feasibility  and  usefulness  of  the 
plan;  and,  if  they  approve  it,  soliciting  their  counte- 
nance and  aid  in  carrying  it  into  effect.  The  advan- 
tages of  this  course  are  numerous.  The  measure 
will  be  more  likely  to  succeed.  It  will  probably  be 
carried  with  more  unanimity  and  comfort.  Every 
wise  adjustment  in  private,  will  both  shorten  and 
mollify  debate  in  public.  And  if,  in  the  course  of 
this  out-of-door  consultation,  there  be  so  much  oppo- 
sition manifested,  as  to  convince  you  that  the  pro- 
posed measure  cannot  succeed,  the  probability  is, 
notwithstanding  all  your  overweening  fondness  and 
zeal  in  its  behalf,  that  it  is  less  wise  than  you  imagine, 
or,  at  least,  ought  to  be  postponed. 

19.  Perhaps  you  will  smile  when  I  gravely  offer 
another  counsel  on  this  subject; — which  is,  that  when 
engaged  from  day  to  day  in  the  important  business 
of  an  ecclesiastical  judicatory,  you  should  practice 

MUCH  SELF-DENIAL,  AND  EVEN  ABSTEMIOUSNESS, 
WITH  RESPECT  TO  THE  INDULGENCES  OP  THE  TABLE. 

Perfect  temperance  in  a  minister  of  religion  is,  of 
course,  at  all  times,  a  duty,  and  at  all  times  important. 
But  now  I  speak  of  a  self-denial  special  and  peculiar; 


HABITS  IN  JUDICATORIES.  307 

of  a  restraint  upon  appetite  more  vigilant  than  usualy 
and  for  a  great  moral  purpose.  This  is  no  easy 
matter.  When  large  numbers  of  ministers  and  other 
ecclesiastical  men  are  convened  in  a  populous  town^ 
their  meeting  seldom  fails  to  he  attehded  with  much 
hospitality,  and  not  unfrequently  with  strong  temp- 
tations to  luxurious  indulgence  of  the  convivial  kind. 
The  consequence  is,  that  after  a  hearty  dinner,  in 
which  no  common  rule  of  temperance  has  been  trans- 
gressed, the  mind  is  less  active,  less  prepared  for 
intellectual  or  moral  labour,  and,  of  course,  less  fitted 
to  discharge  the  duties  of  the  judicatory.  It  will 
tend  to  obviate  this  evil,  if  you  take  considerably 
less  than  your  usual  quantity  of  aliment,  during  the 
whole  continuance  of  the  sessions  of  the  judicatory. 
You  will  certainly,  in  this  case,  if  your  mind  be  pro- 
perly intent  on  the  business,  enjoy  yourself  far  more; 
and  perform  every  duty  more  to  your  own  satisfac- 
tion. Depend  upon  it, — lightly  as  some  may  con- 
sider this  thing, — ^niuch  feasting  is  very  unfriendly  to- 
the  discharge  of  duties  in  which  a  large  portion  of 
wisdom  and  piety  is  needed. 

20.  Let  all  your  conduct  in  judicatories  be  marked- 

WITH  THE  MOST  PERFECT  CANDOUR  AND  UPRIGHT- 
NESS. 

That  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  in  an  assembly  of 
his  brethren,  should  be  guilty  of  gross  dishonesty  or 
falsehood,  is  a  supposition  so  abhorrent  to  every 
right  feeling,  that  I  will  not  suppose  it  possible.  Yet 
it  is  certain,  that  men  in  the  main  upright  and  pious, 
do  sometimes,  in  the  transaction  of  ecclesiastical  bu- 
siness, and  especially  in  attempting  to  carry  favourite 
measures,  indulge  in  a  species  of  indirect  manage- 


308  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

mtntf  which  minds  delicately  honourable,  and  strictly 
desirous  of  "  shunning  the  very  appearance  of  evil,"" 
would  by  no  means  have  adopted.  Such  are  all  the 
little  arts  of  concealment  and  deception  which  are 
sometimes  practised,  even  in  ecclesiastical  business; 
— revealing  onl}^  part  of  a  plan,  and  carefully  draw- 
ing a  veil  over  those  features  of  it,  which  it  is  well 
known  a  large  majority  of  the  body  would  object  to, 
if  aware  of  the  whole  plan;  making  insidious  pro- 
posals, under  the  name  of  concessions;  in  short, 
engaging  in  a  constant  system  oi  covert  s^eneralshipy 
for  overreaching  and  entrapping  those,  who  it  is 
known  would  never  co-operate,  if  they  were  made 
acquainted  with  the  whole  scheme. 

It  is  surely  unnecessary  to  employ  argument  to 
show  that  this  is  a  hateful  character,  and  that  every 
Christian  minister  ought  to  abhor  and  avoid  it.  You 
are  not  bound,  indeed,  to  tell  every  body  your  whole 
mind,  on  all  subjects;  not,  perhaps,  to  disclose  all  the 
facts  you  know  on  a  given  subject  under  discussion. 
But  you  are  bound  to  deceive  no  one;  to  overreach 
no  one;  to  spread  a  trap  for  no  man's  feet  or  con- 
science; to  avoid  all  crooked  and  disingenuous  policy; 
to  give  no  man  occasion  to  say  that  you  hoodwinked 
or  cajoled  him,  by  representations  which,  if  not  false, 
were  insidious.  On  the  contrary,  let  all  your  plans 
be  such  as  you  would  be  willing  to  avow  to  the 
whole  world;  and  let  all  the  means  which  you  em- 
ploy for  carrying  them  into  effect,  be  such  as  perfect 
integrity,  honour,  and  candour  will  justify.  Never 
allow  yourself  either  to  propose  a  scheme,  or  to  sug- 
gest means  for  its  accomplishment,  which  you  would 
not  be  willing  ultimately  to  see  emblazoned  in  every 


HABITS  IN  JUDICATORIES.  309 

gazette  in  the  countiy.  Depend  upon  it,  artifice, 
concealment,  and  evasion,  are,  nowhere,  ultimately 
profitable  to  any  man:  but  in  an  ecclesiastical  assem- 
bly, there  is  a  hatci'ulness  about  them  which  cannot 
be  too  strongly  portrayed,  and  a  mischief  which 
never  fails,  sooner  or  later,  to  fall  on  the  head  of  him 
who  employs  them. 

21.  When  you  succeed  in  cai-rying  your  point  in 
a  judicatory,  never  exult;  never  allow  your- 
self TO  USE  A  language  OR  A  TONE  EXPRESSIVE  OF 
TRIUMPH  OVER  AN  ADVERSARY.       It  is  UOt  the  part  of 

magnanimity  to  do  this.  It  stirs  up  unhallowed  feel- 
ing in  those  who  are  disappointed.  It  greatly  adds 
to  the  pain  of  defeat;  and  sometimes  inflicts  wounds 
as  lasting  as  life.  Besides,  if  you  proudly  triumph, 
on  carrying  a  favourite  measure,  it  is  a  sad  symptom 
against  yourself.  The  measure  itself  may  be  right; 
but  the  state  of  your  heart  is  plainly  shown  to  be 
very  much  otherwise:  and  your  success  may  not, 
after  all,  be  crowned  with  the  divine  blessing.  Enjoy 
success,  then,  with  moderation,  and  with  marked 
respect  towards  those  who  have  been  defeated. 
Treat  them  in  such  a  manner  as  to  alleviate,  as  much 
as  possible,  the  pain  of  failure;  and  your  success  will 
be  much  more  likely  to  be  a  real  blessing  to  the 
church. 

22.  On  the  other  hand,  when  you  have  failed, 

OR  FIND  THAT  YOU  ARE  LIKELY  TO  FAIL,  TO  GAIN 
THE     CAUSE    WHICH    YOU    ADVOCATE,    BE    MILD    AND 

SUBMISSIVE.  To  bear  to  be  outvoted  with  a  good 
grace,  is  a  hard  lesson  to  learn;  but  every  good  poli- 
tician ought  to  learn  it  as  early  as  possible.  Much 
more  ought  every  Christian  minister.     When  a  point 


310  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

is  carried  against  you,  indulge  no  complaints;  utter 
no  reproaches;  let  not  a  word  or  a  look  escape  you 
that  has  a  tendency  to  interrupt  fraternal  feeling. 
You  are  bound  to  admit  at  least  the  possibility  that 
the  majority  are  wiser  than  the  minority.  At  any 
rate,  knowing  it  to  have  been  determined  as  Infinite 
Wisdom  judged  best,  for  the  present,  every  murmur 
ought  to  be  silenced.  And,  after  all,  before  twelve 
months  have  passed  over  your  head,  you  may  be  as 
ready  to  rejoice  as  any  one  else  that  it  was  decided 
as  it  was.  I  am  free  to  confess  that  such  has  been, 
more  than  once,  my  own  experience. 

23.  If  you  should  ever  be  chosen  moderator  op 
THE    General    Assembly,   or    of    any    op    the 

HIGHER     JUDICATORIES     OP     THE     CHURCH,     COUSider 

yourself  as  called  to  a  very  responsible  station,  and 
address  yourself  to  its  duties  with  much  humility, 
seriousness  and  prayer.  Remember  how  much  both 
the  comfort,  and  the  expedition  of  business  in  such 
a  body  depend  on  the  moderator.  If  he  be  inex- 
perienced, timid,  irresolute,  deficient  in  address  or 
presence  of  mind,  or  unwilling  to  employ  the  au- 
thority vested  in  him,  the  proceedings  will  probably 
be  without  dignity,  without  order,  and,  perhaps,  even 
without  judgment  or  justice.  For  the  most  wise  and 
honest  body  in  the  world,  when  they  once  fairly  get 
into  confusion,  may  do  some  of  the  most  foolish 
things  imaginable,  and  do  them  in  the  most  disorderly 
manner.  No  man,  therefore^  ought  to  consent  to  be 
moderator  of  the  General  Assembly,  who  has  not 
served  a  kind  of  apprenticeship  to  the  office  in  pres- 
byteries and  synods,  and  who  does  not  feel  himself, 


HABITS  IN  JUDICATORIES.  311 

in  some  tolerable  degree,  at  home  in  the  rules  of  the 
church. 

But  if  you  should  be  elected  to  the  office,  and 
should  think  proper  to  accept  of  it,  enter  on  the 
duties  of  it  with  humble  trust  in  God,  and  with  the 
firmness  of  one  who  is  inspired  with  a  determination 
to  perform  that  which  is  required  of  him  without 
fear  or  favour.  Make  yourself  perfectly  familiar,  by 
repeated  perusals,  with  the  rules  by  which  you  are  to 
be  governed.  Enforce  them  on  every  member  with 
rigour  and  impartiality.  Be  always  punctual,  to  a 
7nomenty  in  your  seat,  at  the  hour  to  which  the  body 
stands  adjourned.  Let  the  prayers  with  which  you 
open  and  close  each  sitting  be  such  as  shall  tend  to 
fill  every  mind  with  solemnity,  with  brotherly  love, 
and  with  a  deep  sense  of  obligation  to  the  Redeemer's 
kingdom,  without  indulging  yourself  in  what  is 
called  praying  at  people,  which  is  generally  useless, 
and  often  very  unhallowed  work.  Constantly  keep 
on  the  desk  before  you  a  copy  of  the  rules  of  the 
body,  a  copy  of  the  form  of  Government  of  the 
Church,  and  a  complete  roll  of  the  members.  Keep 
accurate  notes,  not  only  of  all  the  assignments  of 
business  for  particular  days,  but  also  of  every  occur- 
rence which  it  may  be  important  for  you  to  remem- 
ber and  call  up  afterwards.  Never  allow  yourself, 
on  any  occasion,  while  occupying  the  chair,  to  take 
part  in  the  debate.  Treat  every  speaker  with  per- 
fect respect,  however  weak  you  may  consider  his 
argument.  Give  fixed  and  undivided  attention,  to 
every  speaker,  keeping  your  eye  steadily  directed  to 
his,  to  the  last  word;  not  only  for  the  purpose  of 
paying  respect  to  him,  but  also  that  you  may  be  able 


312  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

to  observe  and  interpose,  in  a  moment,  when  he  be- 
comes disorderly  or  irrelevant.  Allow  no  person- 
alities, or  wandering  from  the  point  on  any  account; 
but  be  very  sure  before  you  call  a  speaker  to  order 
for  wandering,  that  he  is  not  pursuing  a  very  com- 
pact and  connected  argument,  some  of  the  parts  of 
which  are  a  little  out  of  sight.  Be  firm  and  inexora- 
ble in  applying  the  rules  to  the  oldest  and  most 
venerable,  as  well  as  the  youngest  member;  yet 
never  indulge  in  harshness,  or  the  least  disrespect  to 
any  one.  Never  permit  the  least  altercation  to  take 
place  between  the  moderator  and  any  member: 
when  any  thing  of  this  kind  appears  to  be  com- 
mencing or  threatened,  remind  the  individual  that  it 
cannot  be  allowed;  that  his  remedy  is  to  appeal  to 
the  body,  without  debate.  In  stating  questions,  and 
in  deciding  points  of  order,  be  as  perfectly  impartial 
as  possible;  never  permitting  a  word  to  escape  you 
that  shall  indicate  your  opinion  as  to  the  merits  of 
the  question  before  the  judicatory;  but  keeping  the 
scales  perfectly  even,  as  to  both  sides  of  the  house. 
Remember  that  the  business  of  the  moderator  is  to 
maintain  order,  and  to  secure  to  every  member  the 
perfect  enjoyment  of  his  privileges  in  debate.  In 
appointing  committees  also  be  impartial.  Where 
there  are  parties,  let  strict  justice  be  done  to  both 
sides.  Never  allow  any  one  to  whisper  to  the 
moderator  while  a  member  is  speaking,  or  a  vote 
taking;  as  it  may  have  the  appearance  of  listening  to 
improper  influence.  In  a  word,  exercise  all  the 
authority  vested  in  you,  with  perfect  politeness,  but 
at  the  same  time  with  perfect  firmness.  I  have  only 
to  add,  that,  it  is  very  seldom  proper,  if  at  all,  for 


HABITS  IN  JUDICATORIES.  313 

the  moderator  to  place  another  person  in  his  chair, 
and  descend  to  the  floor,  for  the  purpose  of  taking 
part  in  a  debate.  It  has  sometimes  been  done;  and 
there  is  certainly  no  absolute  rule  of  the  church 
against  it.  But  it  is  by  no  means  expedient.  The 
best  judges  have  decided  against  its  propriety.  And 
it  may  not  be  easy  for  the  moderator,  when  he  re- 
sumes the  chair,  to  convince  the  members  that  he  is 
perfectly  impartial  in  stating  the  question  and  taking 
a  vote  on  a  point  which  he  has  taken  part  in  dis- 
cussing. Besides,  why  should  he  do  it  ?  If  he  has 
any  thing  important  to  say,  he  can  surely  put  it  into 
the  mouth  of  a  friend  to  be  uttered,  as  well  as  by 
himself. 

24.  To  sum  up  all  in  a  word;  endeavour  so  to 
treat  every  brother,  and  so  to  conduct  yourself  on 
every  occasion,  as  shall  be  adapted  to  make  the 

JUDICATORY,    so     FAR    AS     YOU     ARE     CONCERNED,    A 

SCENE  OF  Christian  affection  and  pleasure,  and 

A    NURSERY    OF    EVERY    HALLOWED    FEELING.       It    is 

impossible,  in  such  an  assembly  as  that  of  a  court  of 
Christ,  to  have  a  set  of  rules,  framed  beforehand, 
sufficiently  numerous  and  minute  to  meet  every  spe- 
cific case.  But  if  there  be  a  heart  full  of  love  to 
Christ,  and  of  love  to  his  servants  and  his  kingdom; 
if  there  be  a  deep  impression  of  the  all-seeing  eye  of 
God,  and  a  solemn  anticipation  of  his  judgment-seat; 
if  there  be  a  mild,  amiable,  benevolent  spirit  in  full 
exercise;  if  there  be  a  sincere,  disinterested  desire  to 
"  follow  the  things  which  make  for  peace,  and  the 
things  wherewith  one  may  edify  another;"  if  there 
be  a  sincere  desire  to  give  the  business  throughout  A 
religious,  AND  NOT  A  SECULAR  ASPECT:  in  a  word, 
2  B 


314  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

if  there  be  no  other  banner  set  up  in  the  camp  than 
that  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  no  other  end  pursued  than 
his  glory; — then  the  meetings  of  the  judicatories  will 
be  delightful  scenes.  The  members  will  know  no 
other  strife,  than  who  shall  love  the  Redeemer  most, 
and  who  shall  serve  him  with  the  warmest  zeal. 
Their  differences  of  opinion  will  produce  no  aliena- 
tion of  feeling.  Their  debates  will  ever  be  carried 
on  with  mutual  respect  and  love.  They  will  sepa- 
rate with  warmer  affection  than  they  met;  will  re- 
turn to  their  respective  charges  with  increased  attach- 
ment to  their  Master  and  his  work;  and  will  look 
forward  to  another  meeting  with  a  glow  of  delight. 
My  dear  friend,  let  it  always  be  your  study  and 
prayer,  whenever  you  attend  such  an  assembly,  to 
contribute  your  full  share  to  the  production  of  these 
happy  results. 

25.  After  having  read  over  the  foregoing  counsels, 

DO  NOT  IMAGINE  THAT  IT  WILL  BE    AN    EASY    THING 

TO  FOLLOW  THEM.  1  havc  uo  doubt  that  the  sub- 
stance of  them  will  readily  commend  itself  to  your 
judgment,  as  obviously  worthy  of  regard;  and  that 
you  will  resolve  to  bear  the  whole  code  in  mind, 
whenever,  in  future,  you  enter  an  ecclesiastical  judi- 
catory. But  be  not  too  sanguine  of  success  in  this 
matter.  It  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  things  in  the 
woi'ld  to  follow  the  best  and  plainest  rules;  especially 
when  you  are  called  to  deliberate  and  act  with  a 
number  of  others.  In  a  large  assembly  many  feel-- 
ings  are  excited,  which  in  solitude  lie  dormant. 
Pride,  vanity,  ambition,  envy,  jealousy,  the  irascible 
principle,  and  a  thousand  unfortunate  sensibilities, 
which  your  fellow  members  will  either  designedly 


HABITS  IN  JUDICATORIES.  315 

or  inadvertently  attack,  may,  when  3'ou  are  off  vour 
guard,  as  it  were,  spring  a  mine  under  your  feet,  and, 
contrary  to  your  fixed  purpose,  betray  you  into  lan- 
guage or  conduct,  which  you  will  long  recollect  with 
mortification.  Remember  your  own  weakness.  Be 
jealous  of  your  own  heart,  and  watch  it  with  intense 
vigilance.  Have  no  confidence  in  your  own.  ability 
to  avert  or  overcome  temptation.  Constantly  look 
for  strength  and  wisdom  to  a  higher  source.  I  again 
rc])eat,  not  only  pray  for  light  and  guidance  from 
above,  before  you  take  your  seat  in  such  assemblies, 
as  before  advised;  but  through  all  their  various  and 
complicated  business,  "  pray  without  ceasing,"  that 
you  may  be  directed  and  guarded,  and  sanctified  in 
every  thing;  that  you  may  be  preserved  from  the 
sudden  onsets  of  unhallowed  passion;  and  that  you 
may  have  grace  given  you  to  act  in  conformity  with 
those  rules  which  you  heartily  approve,  and  desire 
to  follow. 

26.   I  think  it- must  be  impossible  to  read  with  any 
attention  the  foregoing  counsels,  without  perceiving 

HOW  ERRONEOUS  IS  THE  PRINCIPLE  OX  WHICH 
MANY  OF  OUR  PRESBYTERIES  PROCEED  IN  CHOOSING 
THEIR  COMMISSIONERS  TO  THE   GeNERAL  ASSEMBLY. 

The  principle  referred  to  is  that  of  simple  unquali- 
fied rotation,  without  reference  to  age,  experience, 
or  any  personal  qualification.  Hence  it  often  hap- 
pens,— and,  acting  on  this  plan,  often  must  happen, 
— that  all  the  delegates,  from  some  presbyteries,  are 
young  77ien  who  never  saw  the  Body  before.  Of 
course,  they  are  not  at  home  with  regard  to  the  rules 
and  habits  of  the  Assembly,  and,  therefore,  cannot 
represent  to  the  best  advantage  the  presbyteries  by 


316  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

which  they  are  commissioned.  More  than  once  have 
I  seen  the  interests  of  a  particular  section  of  the 
church  really  sufi'er,  in  consequence  of  the  delegates 
from  that  section  being  all  young  men,  who  knew  so 
little  of  the  Assembly,  and  of  its  mode  of  transact- 
ing business,  that  they  were  not  qualified  to  conduct 
the  matters  intrusted  to  their  care.  If  you  should 
live  to  take  a  seat  in  any  presbytery,  I  would  advise 
that  you  endeavour  to  promote  the  adoption  of  some- 
thing like  the  following  plan. — Let  half  your  com- 
missioners, every  year,  be  men  of  soine  experience, 
who  have  been  repeatedly  members  of  the  Assembly 
before;  and  the  other  half  such  yoinig  men,  as  have 
been  at  least  five  or  six  years  in  the  ministry,  and, 
of  course,  somewhat  familiar,  during  that  time,  with 
the  proceedings  of  presbyteries  and  synods.  Acting 
upon  this  plan,  the  younger  members,  when  they 
reach  a  certain  age,  will  go  in  their  turn,  and  be  gra- 
dually trained  to  the  work;  and  will  be,  at  the  same 
time,  always  accompanied  by  fathers,  familiar  with 
the  habits  of  the  body,  and  capable  of  giving  to  their 
juniors  salutary  counsel.  When  I  was  a  young  man, 
this  plan  was  much  more  acted  upon  than  it  is  at 
present.  I  had  been  nearly  eight  years  an  ordained 
minister  before  I  ever  received  a  commission  to  the' 
General  Assembly. 


LETTER    XII, 


Entreat — the  elder  women  as  mothers  ;  the  younger  as  sisters,  with 
all  purity.— I  Thn.  v.  2. 


FEMALE  SOCIETY,  MARRIAGE,  &C. 

My  dear  young  friend, 

A  clergyman  will,  of  course,  have  much  and  con- 
stant occasion  to  be  in  tlie  company  of  females. 
They  form  a  most  interesting  and  active  part  of 
every  church.  Many  things  may  be  accomplished 
by  their  pious  agency,  which  could  scarcely  be  at- 
tained in  any  other  way.  And  happy,  indeed,  is  that 
minister  of  the  gospel,  who,  by  wisdom,  fidelity, 
prudence,  and  Christian  delicacy,  is  enabled  to  con- 
ciliate the  esteem,  and  to  acquire  and  maintain  the 
unlimited  confidence  of  his  female  parishioners,  and 
of  other  persons  of  worth  of  that  sex,  with  whom  he 
may  be  called  in  Providence  to  associate.  He  who 
fails  of  doing  this,  cannot  either  be  very  acceptable 
or  very  useful;  while  he  who  succeeds  in  attaining  it, 
not  only  possesses  one  of  the  most  valuable  pledges 
of  permanent  popularity,  but  also  enjoys  advantages 
for  doing  good  of  the  richest  kind.  The  female  part 
of  every  congregation  have,  in  general,  an  influence, 
which,  while  it  cannot  be  defined,  cannot,  at  the 
2  b* 


318  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

same  time,  be  resisted.  And,  for  the  most  part,  this 
influence,  I  believe,  is  as  just  in  its  ultimate  award, 
as  it  is  sovereign  in  its  sway. 

That  department  of  clerical  manners  and  habits, 
then,  which  has  a  rCvSpect  to  females,  is  at  once,  one 
of  the  most  delicate  and  important  that  can  pass  under 
review.  I  am  aware,  too,  of  the  great  difficulty  of 
treating  this  subject,  especially  in  reference  to  un- 
married clergymen,  in  a  profitable  manner.  While 
it  is  a  subject  concerning  which  counsel  is  more  fre- 
quently needed  than  almost  any  other;  it  is  one,  at 
the  same  time,  in  which  feeling  and  caprice  are  so 
apt  to  triumph  over  reason,  that,  when  counsel  is 
most  urgently  needed,  it  is  seldom  heard,  or,  at  least, 
seldom  properly  weighed.  What  else,  indeed,  can 
be  expected,  when  so  large  a  portion  of  mankind, 
and  especially  of  the  young,  and  even  of  the  con- 
scientious and  pious,  seem  to  think  that  here,  if  ever, 
inclination  ought  to  bear  a  sovereign  sway;  and  that 
listening  to  the  dictates  o? prudence,  is  a  sort  of  high 
treason  against  that  refined  system  of  "  sentimental- 
ism"  which  they  suppose  ought  absolutely  to  govern 
in  such  cases.  This  is  being  weak  and  foolish,  if  the 
expression  may  be  allowed,  vpo7i  principle.  And 
hence,  I  have  known,  again  and  again,  some  of  the 
most  sober  minded  and  excellent  people  of  my  ac- 
quaintance giving  themselves  up  to  matrimonial  par- 
tialities and  connexions  so  manifestly  unworthy  of 
persons  in  their  senses;  and  so  perfectly  deaf  to  all 
the  suggestions  of  wisdom,  that  tliey  deserved  the 
discipline  of  the  rod  just  as  much  as  children  at 
school. 

I  do  not  deny  that  ardent  affection  is  necessary  to 


FEMALE  SOCIETY,  MARRIAGE.  319 

matrimonial  liappiness.  And  am  as  ready  to  grant, 
as  the  most  sentimental  of  my  youthful  acquaintance, 
that  marriages  contracted  on  the  ground  of  merce- 
nary calculation,  or  even  from  the  mere  dictates  of 
cold  prudence,  promise  little  conjugal  enjoyment. 
But  does  it  follow  from  this  concession,  that  a  reflect- 
ing man,  and  especially  a  man  of  religious  principle, 
ought  to  allow  himself  to  fall  in  love  with  the  first 
pretty  face  he  sees,  without  the  least  reference  to  his 
highest  obligations,  and  without  the  least  knowledge 
of  the  temper,  intellect,  principles,  habits  and  man- 
ners of  the  individual  ?  Surely  a  man  ought  as  sa- 
credly to  take  care,  before  marriage,  on  whom  he 
bestows  his  affections,  as  afterwards  that  he  confine 
them  to  the  object  whom  he  has  chosen.  There  are 
limits,  then,  beyond  which  inclination  ought  not  to 
be  allowed  to  govern  in  this  matter.  So  I  should 
decide  in  the  case  of  any  one  who  meant  to  act  the 
part  of  a  rational  being. 

But  a  minister  of  the  gospel  is  peculiarly  bound 
to  summon  to  his  consideration,  on  this  whole  sub- 
ject, a  solemn  reference  to  his  official  character, 
duties,  and  usefulness,  as  well  as  to  his  personal  taste. 
And  he  who  allows  himself  to  make  a  sacrifice  of  the 
former  to  the  latter,  is  unfaithful  to  himself,  and  to 
his  God.  Whatever  others  may  do,  when  he  thinks 
of  selecting  a  partner  for  life,  he  will  have  before 
him  his  high  oflice,  and  all  the  interests  of  the  Re- 
deemer's kingdom,  to  which  he  has  devoted  himself,, 
as  well  as  his  own  personal  gratification.  Happy  is 
the  man  who,  in  this  interesting  concern,  is  favoured 
with  "  that  wisdom  which  cometh  down  from  above," 


320  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

and  is  enabled  perfectly  to  unite  the  tenderest  im- 
pulses of  affection,  with  the  sternest  dictates  of  duty! 
1.  In  reference  to  this  subject,  my  first  leading 
suggestion  is,  that  there  are  some  clergymen 
WHO  OUGHT  never  TO  MARRY.  While  I  firmly  be- 
lieve, that  the  doctrine  which  enjoins  celibacy  on 
the  clergy  generally,  is,  as  the  apostle  styles  it,  "  a 
doctrine  of  devils,"  and  that  it  has  led,  and  must 
always  lead,  to  the  most  enormous  evils;  I  have,  at 
the  same  time,  no  doubt,  that  the  minister  who  de- 
liberately resolves  to  spend  his  days  as  an  evan- 
gelist, or  an  evangelical  itinerant,  ought,  if  he  can 
be  happy  in  a  single  state,  to  continue  in  that  state, 
I  am  of  the  opinion  that  neither  Wesley  nor  fVhite- 
Jield,  for  example,  ought  ever  to  have  married.  They 
were  both,  indeed,  strangely  injudicious  in  the  selec- 
tion of  a  partner;  but  I  doubt  whether  any  woman 
could  have  been  happy  with  either  of  them  herself, 
or  have  made  either  of  them  happy  as  long  as  they 
pursued  the  course  of  life  to  which  they  were  de- 
voted. I  think,  too,  I  could  name  some  individuals, 
now  living,  in  our  own  country,  whose  usefulness  is 
greatly  extended  by  their  declining  to  entangle  them- 
selves with  those  worldly  cares  which  the  conjugal 
relation  seldom  fails  to  induce.  I  know  not  ihdXyov 
have  in  view  any  such  plan  of  ministerial  labour. 
If  you  have,  and  if  you  can  be  comfortable  in  a  life 
of  celibacy,  I  would  advise  you  never  to  marry.  In 
this  case,  you  may  give  j^ourself  more  entirely  to 
your  work;  your  movements,  however  incessant, 
may  be  untrammelled;  much  less  will  suffice  for  your 
decent  support,  than  if  you  had  a  family;  and  thui 


FEMALE  SOCIETY,  MARRIAGE.  321 

you  may  afford  essential  aid  to  many  congregations, 
from  which  you  would  be  in  a  great  measure  shut 
out,  if  you  were  bound  by  domestic  ties.  There 
ought  to  be  a  few  such  ministers  in  every  church  of 
large  extent.  Yet  no  one  ought  to  be  constrained,  or 
even  persuaded,  to  choose  such  a  plan  of  life.  Nor 
should  any  one  adopt  it,  unless  it  be  the  object  of  his 
deliberate  and  devout  preference.  And  even  after 
having  adopted  it,  for  a  time,  he  ought  to  feel  himself 
at  full  liberty  to  retract,  and  assume  the  conjugal 
bond,  whenever  he  is  fully  persuaded  that  he  can 
serve  the  church  better  by  taking  this  course. 

2.  My  next  counsel,  however,  is,  that,  in  general, 

EVERY  SETTLED  MINISTER  SHOULD  CONSIDER  IT  AS 
HIS    DUTY,    AS    WELL     AS     HIS     PRIVILEGE,    TO    BE     A 

MARRIED  MAN.  I  give  this  advicc,  because  I  am  de- 
liberately of  the  opinion,  that  the  matrimonial  con- 
nexion, when  formed  in  wisdom,  and  in  the  fear  of 
God,  is  by  far  the  happiest  union  which  the  society 
of  this  world  furnishes;  and  which,  when  really 
happy,  approaches  nearer  than  any  other  to  the  bliss 
of  better  society  on  high.  I  am  so  far  from  thinking 
that  a  state  of  celibacy  is  a  state  of  greater  "  perfec- 
tion" than  any  other,  as  some  religionists  have 
taught,  that  I  am  wholly  unable  to  read  the  second 
chapter  of  Genesis,  to  say  nothing  of  any  other 
Scripture,  without  coming  to  a  directly  opposite 
conclusion.  But,  while  all  the  considerations  veri- 
fying the  early  declaration  of  our  Maker,  that  it  is 
not  good  for  a  man  to  be  alone,  which  apply  to 
other  men,  apply  equally  to  him;  there  are  addi- 
tional considerations,  which  show  that  a  happy 
jnatrimonial   union  is  of  peculiar  importance  to  a 


322  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

minister.  If  he  be  married,  his  female  parishoners 
will  have  more  confidence  in  him,  and  feel  more 
freedom  in  approaching  him.  He  will  himself,  also, 
in  this  case,  be  delivered  from  a  great  many  embar- 
rassments and  temptations  which  would  otherwise 
beset  his  ministerial  intercourse  with  the  younger 
females  of  his  congregation.  A  man  who  knows, 
from  experience,  what  domestic  affections,  duties, 
and  trials  import,  will  know  better  how  to  enter  into 
the  feelings  and  wants  of  his  people  on  similar  sub- 
jects, than  would  be  possible  for  one  in  a  different 
situation.  A  pastor,  though  unmarried,  niight,  and 
undoubtedly  ought,  on  suitable  occasions,  to  preach 
on  the  duties  of  husbands  and  wives,  parents  and 
children,  &c. ;  yet  it  is  manifest  that,  on  this  class  of 
subjects,  a  bachelor  will  commonly,  be  a  less  skilful, 
as  well  as  a  less  impressive  preacher,  than  he  who  is 
not  only  a  pious,  exemplary  divine,  but  also  an  ex- 
emplary husband  and  father. 

If,  therefore,  you  have  nothing  else  in  view  than 
your  ministerial  usefulness,  I  should  say,  if  you  be- 
come a  settled  pastor,  by  all  means  be  married.  The 
celebrated  Richard  Baxter,  somewhere  in  his  prac- 
tical works,  asks  this  question — "  Ought  a  clergy- 
man to  marry?"  His  answer  is — "Yes;  but  let  him 
think,  and  think,  and  think  again,  before  he  does  it." 
So  say  I.  For  if  there  be  an  important  step  in  the 
course  of  a  minister's  life,  this,  certainly,  is  one. 
The  following  sentences  from  Dr.  Clarke's  valuable 
"  Letter  to  a  Methodist  Preacher,"  before  quoted, 
though  couched  in  strong  language,  are  yet,  I  think, 
not  too  strong.  "  Marriage  to  you  can  never  be 
an  indifferent  thing:  it  will  make  or  mar  you;  it 


FEMALE  SOCIETY,  >rAURIAGE.  323 

will  be  a  blessijti^  or  a  cio'se  to  you.  It  will  either 
help  you  to  heaven,  drive  you  to  hell,  or  be  a  heart- 
rending cross  to  you  while  you  live.  Nor  will  a  bad 
or  improper  marriage  affect  yourself  alone:  it  may 
be  the  ruin  of  every  child  that  issues  from  it.  And, 
dreadful  as  this  is,  it  may  not  rest  there;  they  may 
propagate  the  plague  to  interminable  generations, 
and  millions  be  injured,  if  not  lost  by  your  improper 
or  vicious  marriage.  Take  this  step,  then,  with  that 
godly  fear,  and  scrupulous  caution,  which  a  man 
should  do,  who  feels  that  he  has  his  all  at  stake." 

3.  Be  not  in  too  much  haste  to  form  a  ma- 
trimonial   ENGAGEMENT     AND    ESPECIALLY    TO    BE 

MARRIED.  I  say  a  matrimonial  engagement,  because, 
though  not  all,  yet  a  number  of  the  evils  which  re- 
sult from  a  premature  marriage,  frequently  flow  from 
a  premature  affiance.  When  a  theological  student 
marries  before  he  has  closed  his  preparatory  studies, 
and,  of  course,  before  he  has  any  certain  prospect  of 
a  settlement,  he  runs  the  risk,  not  only  of  embarrass- 
ing and  retarding  his  professional  career,  both  as  to 
comfort  and  usefulness;  but  is  really  in  danger  of 
drawing  upon  himself  something  like  professional 
ruin.  He  could  hardly  take  a  step  more  directly 
calculated  to  interrupt  his  studies,  if  not  to  cut  them 
short;  and  even  while  they  nominally  continue,  to 
render  them  less  composed,  deep  and  successful. 
But  this  is  not  the  worst.  When  a  candidate  for  the 
ministry  prematurely  marries,  he  exposes  himself  to 
the  strongest  temptation  to  seek  license  to  preach 
before  he  ought,  and  before  he  otherwise  would;  to 
press  forward  to  ordination,  and  a  pastoral  charge, 
before  he  has  passed  through  that  leisurely  training, 


324  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

both  as  a  student  and  a  licentiate,  which  is  of  incal- 
culable importance;  and  even  to  indulge  a  degree  of 
impatient  urgency  in  obtaining  a  settlement,  which 
may  lower  his  dignity  in  the  view  of  those  who  ob- 
serve it,  and  even  interfere  essentially  with  all  his 
professional  prospects.  I  have  repeatedly  known 
instances  in  which  the  premature  marriages  of  theo- 
logical students  have  impeded  them  in  their  studies 
to  a  distressing  degree;  have  been  the  means  of  hur- 
rying them  into  the  ministry  before  they  were  at  all 
prepared  for  it;  have  led  them  to  take  measures  for 
obtaining  settlements,  which  their  own  impartial 
judgments,  in  other  circumstances,  would  have  re- 
jected with  scorn;  and  in  a  word,  for  many  years, 
proved  such  an  incumbrance  to  them;  such  an  ob- 
stacle both  to  their  comfort  and  usefulness,  as  they 
could  never  be  persuaded  to  believe  possible,  until 
taught  by  painful  experience.  It  is  true,  this  is  not 
always  the  consequence  of  forming  matrimonial 
contracts  or  connexions  with  indiscreet  haste.  But, 
if  I  mistake  not,  it  is  in  a  majority  of  cases;  and 
I  am  clearly  of  the  opinion  that  there  is  no  pro- 
fession more  likely  to  suffer  by  such  imprudent 
haste  than  the  clerical. 

Besides;  no  candidate  for  the  sacred  office  can  tell, 
till  he  actually  enters  it,  where  the  head  of  the  church 
may  cast  his  lot.  He  ought  to  hold  himself  ready 
to  follow  implicitly  the  leadings  of  Providence.  But 
if  he  be  already  married,  or  under  a  matrimonial 
engagement,  before  he  comes  to  this  point  in  his 
course,  it  may  be  utterly  impracticable  for  him  to  go 
in  the  direction  which  he  most  fondly  desires,  and 
which  all  his  pious  friends  consider  as,  in  itself,  most 


FEMALE  SOCIETY,  MARRIAGE.  325 

desirable.  Or,  it  may  be,  that,  in  spite  of  every  dif- 
ficulty which  his  marriage  or  engagement  presents, 
he  may  be  shut  up  to  a  particular  course;  and  then 
he  may  find  himself  compelled  to  take  a  beloved 
companion  into  a  situation  which  she  never  antici- 
pated; for  which  she  is  by  no  means  prepared,  either 
in  spirit  or  habits;  and  in  which  she  can  never  be 
happy. 

For  these,  and  for  many  other  reasons,  I  should 
strongly  advise  that  you  guard  against  all  engagements 
of  this  kind,  until  your  professional  studies  are  com- 
pleted, and  you  have  a  fair  prospect  of  a  speedy  set- 
tlement, or,  at  least,  of  being  able  to  decide  where 
you  are  likely  to  be  ultimately  placed.  You  may 
think  this  advice  of  small  importance  now;  but  if 
you  act  in  opposition  to  it,  I  venture  to  predict,  that 
you  will  review  your  conduct  with  bitter  repentance 
at  a  future  day. 

4.  Carefully  guard  against  exciting  expecta- 
tions   OP    A    MATRIMONIAL    INTENTION,    WHEN     YOU 

HAVE  NO  SUCH  SERIOUS  PURPOSE.  You  are,  proba- 
bly, not  ignorant,  that  young  clergymen  are  consi- 
dered as  one  of  those  classes  of  suitors  who  are  apt 
to  be  peculiarly  popular  with  the  female  sex.  And, 
truly,  it  would  be  a  great  reflection  on  their  judgment 
if  it  were  not  so.  For,  in  the  case  of  young  men  of 
your  profession,  there  is  all  that  pledge  of  piety, 
virtue,  conjugal  fidelity  and  kindness,  and  general 
respectability  of  character,  that  official  duty  and  en- 
gagements can  give.  Is  it  strange,  then,  that  many 
young  ladies  of  enlightened  minds,  and  virtuous  sen- 
timents, should  manifest  a  preference,  other  things 
being  equal,  to  promising  candidates  for  this  profes- 
2c 


326  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

sion  ?  I  should,  indeed,  think  it  strange  if  it  were 
otherwise.  Alas!  that  their  confidence  should  have 
been  sometimes  misplaced;  and  that  even  clergymen 
should  have  been  found  capable  of  making  unkind 
and  miserable  husbands! 

Let  it  also  be  remembered,  that  as  young  ladies  of 
pious  amiable  character  are  predisposed,  as  a  matter 
of  course,  to  think  favourably  of  the  general  moral 
qualities  of  young  clergymen,  and,  in  many  cases,  to 
regard  what  are  supposed  to  be  advances  on  their 
part  with  a  propitious  eye;  so  there  is  another  con- 
sideration which  is  worthy  of  your  notice.  When 
a  young  minister  pays  attentions  to  a  young  female, 
which  have  the  appearance  of  hem^y  particular,  they 
are  apt  to  go  for  much  more  than  the  same  attentions 
would,  if  paid  by  a  secular  man.  The  latter  it  is 
understood,  may,  perhaps,  have  in  view,  in  such 
attentions,  his  own  present  amusement  only.  But 
the  fair  presumption  is,  that  the  former  has  too  much 
honour,  integrity,  and  purity  of  principle,  to  sport, 
for  one  hour,  with  the  feelings  of  a  female  acquaint- 
ance. An  equal  degree  of  attention,  from  him, 
therefore,  will  be  apt  to  be  considered  as  meaning 
more,  than  from  a  person  of  another  profession. 

Let  your  whole  deportment,  my  young  friend, 
fully  justify  this  presumption  in  favour  of  the  clerical 
character.  While  you  treat  every  female,  with  whom 
you  may  become  acquainted,  and  who  may  be  enti- 
tled to  such  treatment,  with  respect  and  due  attention, 
carefully  guard  against  every  thing  like  particular 
attention,  unless  you  have  serious  thoughts  of  seek- 
ing a  matrimonial  union.  To  act  a  part  intended  to 
excite  the  expectations,  and  ensnare  the  affections  of 


TEJIALE  SOCIETY,  MAlUilAGE.  327 

an  ingenuous  female,  when  you  had  no  real  intention 
of  oflering  her  your  own  heart  and  hand,  would  he 
a  compound  of  meanness  and  wickedness  of  which 
I  am  confident  you  will  never  be  deliberately  guilty. 
But  I  have  known  young  ministers  to  pursue,  inad- 
vertently, a  course  of  conduct  which  led  to  this 
unhappy  result.  They  have  greatly  respected  a 
particular  female  acquaintance,  and  taken  more  plea- 
sure in  her  company,  than  in  that  of  any  other  of  her 
sex  in  the  neighbourhood;  and  have  been  thus  led 
to  be  frequent  in  their  visits,  without  the  remotest 
thought  of  a  matrimonial  connexion;  and  taking  for 
granted  that  it  would  be  so  understood  on  all  hands. 
It  is  dangerous  thus  to  act.  The  peace  of  an  unsus- 
pecting and  estimable  individual  may  thus  be  unin- 
tentionally, indeed,  but  totally  destroyed.  Remember 
that  more  scrupulous  delicacy,  caution,  and  self-denial 
are  required,  and  are  really  due,  from  young  men  of 
your  profession  than  of  any  other.  Never  visit  fre- 
quently wiierc  you  are  not  willing  to  realize  the  most 
serious  expectations  that  can  be  formed:  and  when 
you  discover,  or  think  you  discover,  that  such 
expectations  exist,  without  any  proper  ground,  im- 
mediately adopt  such  a  course  of  conduct  as  will, 
respectfully  and  delicately,  but  efi'ectually,  terminate 
them.  Only  suppose  the  case  of  the  female  in  ques- 
tion to  be  that  of  a  sister  of  your  own,  and  then  every 
Christian  and  manly  feeling  will  dictate  the  proper 
course. 

There  is  a  tendency  on  the  part  of  amiable  and 
intelligent  3'Oung  ministers,  to  form  what  they  call 
special  friendships,  with  young  females  of  fine  un- 
derstandings and  amiable   manners.     These  friend'- 


328  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS, 

ships  are  formally  understood,  in  the  beginning,  by 
both  parties,  not  to  have  matrimony  for  their  object. 
Still  they  are  carried  on  with  many  effusions  of 
refined  sentiment;  the  epithets  of  brother  and  sister 
are  agreed  to  be  employed  in  their  intercourse;  an 
epistolary  correspondence  is  kept  up;  and  every  thing 
wears  the  aspect  of  what  is  commonly  styled  "  court- 
ship." Let  me  warn  you  against  every  thing  of  this 
kind,  unless  you  are  perfectly  willing  and  desirous 
to  marry  the  individual  in  question.  Such  "  friend- 
ships" have  a  tendency  to  ensnare,  and  finally  to 
embarrass  the  parties  themselves.  They  seldom  fail 
of  making  an  erroneous  impression  on  others.  And 
I  am  confident  "  the  winding  up"  is  rarely  satisfac- 
tory to  all  concerned.  I  always  regret  to  see  an 
epistolary  correspondence  going  on  between  a  young 
minister  and  a  young  female  whom  he  professes  to 
have  no  intention  or  desire  of  marrying. 

5.  Be    on  your    guard  against  the    advice 

AND  interference  OF    NOTORIOUS    MATCH-MAKERS. 

There  are  such  persons  in  every  community.  They 
are  your  forward,  sanguine,  and  often  well-meaning 
busy-bodies,  who  have  a  wife  or  a  husband  ready  for 
almost  every  unmarried  individual  of  their  acquaint- 
ance; and  who  appear  always  willing  to  incur  the 
responsibility  of  being  the  known  contrivers  of  a 
match.  Never  court  the  assistance,  or  put  yourself 
in  the  power  of  such  a  pestiferous  race.  They  may, 
sometimes,  indeed,  amidst  many  failures,  be  instru- 
mental in  forming  a  happy  connexion.  But  trust 
them  not.  Never  put  yourself  implicitly  under 
their  guidance.  Nay  more,  if  you  are  not  extremely 
vigilant,  they  will  he  apt  to  entrap  you,  before  you 


FEMALE  SOCIEXr,  MARRIAGE.  329 

are  aware  of  it,  into  a  situation  from  wliich  you  will 
find  it  difficult  to  retreat.  Of  this  I  have  known  some 
of  the  most  striking  and  melancholy  examples.  Let 
no  single  individual  dictate  to  you  on  such  a  subject. 
Consult,  not  many,  but  several  judicious  friends,  es- 
pecially pious  friends,  with  a  sincere  desire  and 
willingness  to  take  sound  advice.  It  is,  surely,  a 
matter  of  sufficient  importance  to  engage  all  the  de- 
liberation, the  inquiry,  and  the  prayer  which  you 
have  an  opportunity  of  bestowing  upon  it. 

G.   In  seeking  a  matrimonial  union,  bear  in  mind 

THE     inestimable     IIMPOETANCE      OF      PIETY      IN     A 

clergy,-\ian's  WIFE.  I  Say  the  inestimable  impor- 
tance; because  I  am  verily  persuaded,  that  no  one 
who  has  not  made  the  experiment,  can  adequatel}^ 
estimate  the  importance  of  genuine  and  even  emi- 
nent piety  in  one  who  is  intended  to  be  a  "help 
meet"  for  a  minister  of  the  gospel.  However  great 
the  other  excellencies  of  his  wife  may  be;  yet  if  she 
have  not  real  piety,  she  cannot  be  a  "helper"  in 
tlie  most  important  of  all  interests.  She  cannot  aid 
him  in  the  conflicts  of  the  spiritual  life.  She  cannot 
stimulate  him  in  devotion  when  he  is  languid;  or 
sympathize  with  him  when  he  is  dejected,  and  com- 
fortless. She  cannot  counsel  and  excite  him  in  the 
delicate  and  arduous  duties  of  his  office.  She  can- 
not strengthen  his  hands  among  the  poeple  of  his 
charge,  by  appearing  foremost  among  the  sisters  of 
the  church,  in  every  pious  benevolent  and  laudable 
undertaking  in  which  they  engage.  She  cannot  ex- 
ert a  proper  influence  in  "  training  up  her  children  in 
the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord."  In  a 
word,  she  must  so  utterly  fail  of  affiDrding  him  the 
2  c* 


330  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

least  aid,  in  all  that  large  portion  of  his  duties  and 
conflicts  which  pertain  to  the  spiritual  welfare  of 
himself,  his  family,  and  the  souls  committed  to  his 
care;  and,  if  not  an  aid,  must  be  so  frequently  a  snare 
and  a  drawbaclc  in  reference  to  all  these  interests,  that, 
methinks,  a  conscientious  man,  entering  on  the  work 
of  the  holy  ministry,  will  be  extremely  unwilling  to 
form  a  connexion,  to  say  the  least,  promising  so  little 
of  either  comfort  or  advantage. 

Let  me  earnestly  exhort  you,  then,  in  seeking  a 
wife,  to  look  for  one  of  unfeigned  and  ardent  piety. 
Nothing  that  she  can  possess,  ought  to  be  considered 
as  a  compensation  for  the  want  of  this  great  charac- 
teristic. However  beautiful,  however  amiable,  how- 
ever intelligent,  however  extensively  read,  and 
however  polished  in  her  manners — if  she  lack  the 
"  one  thing  needful,"  she  will  be  essentially  defi- 
cient as  a  companion  for  an  ambassador  of  Christ. 
But  if,  with  other  qualities,  which  may  fairly  be 
presupposed,  she  whom  you  choose  for  a  wife,  be  a 
person  possessed  of  enlightened,  active  piety,  you 
will  find  her  a  treasure  beyond  all  price: — a  com- 
forter in  trials;  a  counsellor  in  study,  in  labour,  and 
in  perplexity;  a  soother  of  your  care-worn  hours;  a 
suitable  guide  of  the  best  interests  of  your  household 
in  your  absence;  an  efficient  helper  in  a  variety  of 
respects,  incapable  of  being  specified;  and,  above  all, 
a  happy  medium  of  intercourse,  and  pledge  of  con- 
fidence, between  you,  and  the  other  pious  females  of 
your  congregation.  I  have  often  known  the  pious 
wives  of  clergymen  exert  an  influence  so  manifest,  so 
extensive,  and  so  happy,  within  the  pastoral  charges 
of  their  husbands,  that,  in  some  cases,  there  were 


FEMALE   SOCIETY,  MARRIAGE.  331 

those  who  felt  constrained  to  doubt  whether  the 
pastors  or  their  companions,  were,  all  things  con- 
sidered, the  more  useful.  But  you  cannot  be  made, 
at  present,  to  see  the  whole  importance  of  this  mat- 
ter. If  you  wish  to  find  your  own  personal  piety 
nurtured,  your  comfort  increased,  your  influence 
extended,  and  your  usefulness  doubled,  never  think 
seriously  of  any  other  than  a  pious  wife.  All  ex- 
perience, you  may  rely  upon  it,  speaks  this  language. 
I  have  never  3'et  known  a  minister  who  appeared  to 
know  much  of  the  religion  of  the  heart  himself,  who 
did  not,  as  he  advanced  in  his  course,  manifest  a 
growing  sense  of  the  great  importance  of  securing  a 
spiritual  helper  in  the  companion  of  his  life. 

7.  You  will  not  fail,  I    trust,   to    consider  good 

SENSE,     AND      PRUDENCE     ALSO,      AS      INDISPENSABLE 

QUALITIES  IN  A  clergyman's  WIFE.  Whatever 
piety  the  object  of  your  choice  may  possess;  yet  if 
she  be  a  person  of  weak  mind,  and  strikingly  de- 
ficient in  practical  discretion,  she  will  ])erpetually 
mortify  you,  and  probably  do  you  more  harm  than 
good  among  the  people  of  your  charge.  She  will 
seldom  fail,  by  her  preci])itancy,  her  rashness,  her 
imprudent  speeches,  and  her  childish  deportment, 
to  weaken  your  hands,  and  counteract  some  of  your 
best  efforts.  Or,  the  most  favourable  supposition  is, 
that,  when  her  character  is  once  fairly  understood, 
she  will  be  considered  as  harmless,  and  do  you  no 
positive  injury.  Surely  something  better  than  this, 
ought  to  be  sought  and  expected  by  him  who  is  about 
to  choose  a  companion  for  life;  a  mother  for  his  off"- 
spring;  a  "guide  of  his  house;"  a  lightener  of  his 
cares;    and    a    counsellor   of  his   most   confidential 


332  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

hours.  Who  can  tell  the  importance  of  having,  in 
so  near  a  friend,  sound,  pi'actical  wisdom,  and  ha- 
bitual prudence  ?  To  a  clergyman  it  is  highly  de- 
sirable that  his  wife  should  have  good  sense  and 
piety  enough  to  be  a  helper  even  in  his  professional 
duties;  but  that  she  should  have  the  principal 
management  of  all  his  domestic  concerns,  will  fol- 
low as  a  matter  of  course.  For  this  purpose,  every 
one  sees  that  wisdom,  prudence,  and  energy  too,  are 
indispensable. 

8.  I  scarcely  need  to  add,  that  you  will,  no  doubt, 
consider  good  temper,  anb  amiable  manners,  as 
holding  a  very  important  place  in  the  qualifications 
of  her  who  is  to  be  a  "  help-meet"  for  a  minister. 
It  has  often  been  remarked,  that  no  clergyman  ever 
married  a  wife  of  a  remarkably  weak  understanding, 
without  severely  repenting  it.  With  this  I  agree. 
But  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  a  wayward  temper, 
and  repulsive  manners,  in  a  wife,  are  more  destruc- 
tive of  domestic  happiness,  and  especially  that  of  a 
clergyman,  than  even  folly  itself 

It  is  of  the  utmost  importance,  that  the  wife  of  a 
public  man  have  that  amiable,  bland,  accommodating 
disposition;  that  habitual  equanimity  and  benevo- 
lence, which  will  dispose  her  at  all  times  to  consult 
her  husband's  comfort,  and  to  receive  with  a  kind 
welcome  all  his  friends  and  visitants.  If  her  temper 
be  irascible,  discontented,  querulous  or  vindictive, 
she  will  not  only  create  many  a  bitter  hour  under 
her  own  roof;  but  will  also  alienate  the  friends  of 
him  whom  she  has  the  deepest  possible  interest  in 
sustaining,  and  present  an  additional  obstacle  to  the 
favourable  influence  of  his  best  exertions.     Many  a 


FEMALE  SOCIETV,  ^lAURIAGE.  333 

minister  has  had  his  usefulness  in  a  great  measure 
prostrated,  and  some  have  been  driven  from  com- 
fortable settlements,  by  the  accrl)ity  and  pervcrseness 
of  female  tempers.  And,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  but 
justice,  and  equally  to  my  purpose,  to  add,  that,  in 
many  cases,  a  clergyman  of  weak  mind,  or  unhappy 
natural  temper  himself,  has  been  most  happily  in- 
fluenced from  day  to  day,  and  in  a  great  measure 
sustained  in  dignity  and  usefulness,  by  the  affability, 
prudence,  and  address  of  an  amiable  wife. 

9.  Good  health  and  a  good  flow  of  spirits 
IN  A  WIFE  are  of  incalculable  importance  to  any 
man;  but  to  a  minister  of  the  gospel  they  are, 
obviously,  of  peculiar  importance.  I  will  not  sup- 
pose you  capable  of  being  so  insane  as  to  wed  a 
known  valetudinarian;  in  other  words,  voluntarily 
to  connect  yourself  with  an  incumbrance,  rather 
than  a  help,  for  life.  Your  companion  may  become 
sickly,  after  marriage.  If  this  sliould  be  the  case, 
submit  to  it  without  a  murmur,  and  cherish  her  with 
growing  affection,  just  as  you  would  wish  her  to  do, 
if  your  own  health  should  fail.  But  pray  do  not 
begin  with  a  nursling.  An  invalid,  of  either  sex, 
ought,  undoubtedly,  to  receive  your  compassion,  and, 
as  far  as  practicable,  your  benevolent  attention;  but, 
in  seeking  a  wife,  I  shall  take  for  granted  that  you 
wish  to  obtain  a  companion  by  whom  your  own  en- 
joyment and  usefulness  will  be  increased.  But  surely 
there  is  a  miserable  prospect  of  either  of  these  ob- 
jects being,  to  any  extent,  attained,  when  any  one 
commences  his  conjugal  career  with  a  companion, 
whose  frail,  morbid  frame,  and  continually  recurring 
indisposition,  are  ominous  of  the  sick  room,  rather 


334  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

than  of  the  cheerful,  active  housewife,  as  long  as  she 

lives.  Nay,  more;  not  only  seek  a  wife  of  good  health, 

and  some  activity  and  energy;  but  one  who  has  also 

a  ^oocl  flow  of  animal  spirits.     How  inestimably 

important  to  an  intellectual  and  moral  labourer,  that 

he  have  a  companion  Vv'ho  will  habitually  be  able  to 

cheer  him  in   his   gloom;  to   encourage  him  in  sick- 

.       .        .  .  < 

ness;  to  incite  him   in   his  languid    hours;   and    to 

banish  the  clouds  which  occasionally  obscure  his 
prospect,  by  the  fascination  of  a  smiling  countenance, 
which  "  doeth  good  like  a  medicine!" 

10,  You  will,  no  doul)t,  have  observed,  that,  in  the 
foregoing  list  of  requisites,  I  have  said  nothing  of 
PERSONAL  BEAUTY.  For  this,  my  reasons  are  various. 
There  is  no  danger  of  this  quality  having  less  in- 
fluence than  it  ought  to  have,  in  the  choice  of  a  wife. 
All  the  danger  is  on  the  other  side.  It  is  a  fading 
flower;  soon  passing  away,  and  leaving  the  intellec- 
tual and  moral  qualities,  the  grand  requisites  to  con- 
jugal felicity.  Even  while  it  lasts,  it  enters  much 
less  into  the  essence  of  connubial  bliss,  than  the 
youthful  imagination  is  apt  to  suppose.  Some  of  the 
happiest  marriages  I  have  ever  known  were  cases  in 
which  the  wife  was  remarkably  homely,  rather  than 
beautiful;  but  in  which  her  moral  beauty  was  very 
conspicuous.  While,  therefoi'e,  it  is,  doubtless,  de- 
sirable that  the  woman  with  whom  you  hope  to  spend 
your  life,  should  have  a  face  and  person  entirely 
agreeable  to  you;  I  trust  you  will  not  be  unwise 
enough  to  consider  a  "  set  of  features  and  com- 
plexion," as  all  in  all  in  your  choice.  In  less  than 
half  a  dozen  years  after  you  have  become  a  husband, 
every  thing  of  this  nature  will  be  lost  in  the  more 


FEMALE  SOCIETY,  MARRIAGE.  335 

important  considerations  of  the  understanding;,  the 
temper,  the  heart,  and  the  practical  duties  of  domes- 
tic life. 

11.  I  solemnly  warn  you  agaixst  marrying 
FOR  MONEY.  And  by  this  I  mean  something  more 
than  is  commonly  intended  by  the  expression.  To 
be  influenced,  in  forming  a  matrimonial  connexion, 
solely  or  chiefly,  by  the  consideration  of  property,  and 
not  by  genuine  affection,  I  hold  to  be  a  complicated 
wickedness;  a  sin  against  God,  against  nature,  and 
against  domestic  enjojinent;  and  it  is  no  less  -^  folly 
than  a  sin.  Such  marriages  are  scarcely  ever  happy; 
and  no  wonder  that  the  frown  of  heaven,  as  well  as 
the  disapprobation  of  all  the  wise  and  good,  should 
rest  upon  them.  But  I  would  go  further,  and  say, 
to  a  young  clergyman,  by  no  means  marry  a  lady  of 
very  large  estate,  even  if  3'ou  can  love  her  sincerely. 
Her  property  will,  without  something  like  a  miracle, 
be  a  snare  to  you.  She  will  probably  expect  to  live  in 
splendour;  to  see  much  company;  and  to  adopt  a  style 
of  equipage  and  expense  by  no  means  friendly  to  Chris- 
tian simplicity  and  spirituality.  This  will  be  fatal  to 
your  ministerial  fidelity  and  comfort.  Besides,  the 
very  care  and  anxiety  unavoidable  in  managing  a 
large  estate,  would  make  your  heart  and  hands  so  full 
of  the  world,  as  wJiolly  to  interfere  with  exclusive  con- 
secration to  the  duties  of  your  office.  I  say,  again, 
then,  be  not  in  haste  to  wed  a  large  worldly  property. 
In  one  case  only  would  I  allow  such  a  step,  viz. 
where  the  female  who  brought  the  property  was  de- 
cisively pious;  disposed  to  be  plain  and  simple  in  her 
habits;  and  not  likely  to  ensnare  a  servant  of  Christ, 
by  worldly  cares  and  parade.     But  who  can  be  snre 


336  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

that  this  will  be  the  case  with  her  whom  he  marries? 
The  best  way  is  to  avoid  the  danger  altogether.  In 
giving  this  advice,  however,  I  acknowledge,  I  have 
little  hope  that  it  will  be  considered  as  wise,  and  far 
less  that  it  will  be  followed.  But  if  you  go  counter 
to  it,  you  will  bring  on  yourself  many  a  heart  ache, 
which  will  convince  you  of  its  wisdom  afterwards. 
I  have  known  of  one  instance  of  a  clergyman  de- 
clining a  matrimonial  connexion  of  the  most  attrac- 
tive character  from  motives  such  as  these;  but  he 
was  a  man  of  singular  piety,  disinterestedness,  and 
magnanimity. 

12.  Recollect  that  there  is  no  step  in  life,  in 

WHICH  YOU  STANB  MORE  IN  NEED  OF  CONSTANT    Dl- 

VINE  DIRECTION,  than  in  choosing  a  wife.  Perhaps 
I  ought  rather  to  say,  that  there  is  no  temporal  step 
in  which  you  stand  so  much  in  need  of  the  guidance 
of  Infinite  Wisdom.  To  marry  without  cordial  affec- 
tion is  madness.  To  marry  without  sacredly  listen- 
ing to  the  dictates  oi  jjrudence,  as  to  the  piety,  the 
good  sense,  the  good  temper,  and  the  amiable  man- 
ners of  the  individual  selected,  is  equal  madness. 
How  shall  the  demands  of  both  be  satisfied  ?  Espe- 
cially since  this,  of  all  the  subjects  which  come  before 
the  mind,  is  that  concerning  which  caprice,  fancy, 
and  passion  are,  perhaps,  most  apt  to  blind  the  judg- 
ment, and  bear  a  sovereign  sway  ?  For  my  part, 
when  I  recollect  these  things,  I  am  constrained  to 
ask,  can  there  be  a  subject  concerning  which  you 
more  urgently  need  guidance  from  above  ?  Can  there 
be  a  subject  in  regard  to  which  it  behooves  you  more 
implicitly  to  cast  yourself  on  the  teaching  and  the 
control  of  God,  and  more  importunately  to  beg  him 


FEMALE  SOCIETY,  MARRIAGE.  337 

to  choose  for  you  ?  To  this  momentous  matter,  let 
me,  with  peculiar  emphasis,  apply  that  precious  pre- 
cept and  promise  of  God's  word; — "Acknowledge 
him  in  all  thy  ways,  and  he  will  direct  thy  steps." 
Beseech  him  with  unwearied  importunity  to  go  he- 
fore  you;  to  guard  you  against  the  confidence  of  self- 
will,  and  the  government  of  unhallowed  passion;  to 
point  out  the  proper  object;  to  direct  your  choice  in 
mercy;  and  to  preside  over  every  step  in  your  pro- 
gress. He  can,  and  if  you  importunately  ask  him, 
you  have  reason  to  hope,  he  ivill,  guide  your  eye; 
control  your  feelings;  lead  you  by  his  Providence; 
remove  difficulties;  and  conduct  you  to  a  union  for 
which  you  will  have  reason  to  praise  him  for  ever. 
If  God  were  more  acknowledged  and  honoured  in 
forming  matrimonial  connexions,  we  should  see  more 
happy  marriages.  But  if,  instead  of  this,  in  seeking 
a  wife,  you  forget  the  best  Counsellor;  conduct  your 
inquiries  more  by  the  eye  than  the  ear;  think  only 
of  those  qualities  which  please  the  fancy;  depend  on 
effecting  an  entire  revolution  in  a  character  confessed 
not  to  be,  at  present,  at  all  suitable;  and  turn  away 
from  the  warnings  of  piety  and  experience; — why, 
then,  you  will  probably  find  your  acquisition  a 
scourge  instead  of  a  blessing,  and  all  your  anticipated 
joys  turned  into  gall  and  wormwood. 

13.  Beware  of  violating  a  matrimonial  en- 
gagement AFTER  having  FORMED  IT.  I  have  somc- 
times  doubted  whether  there  were  on  the  minds  of 
many  conscientious  young  men,  a  sufficiently  deep 
impression  of  the  evil  of  this  conduct.  The  same 
levity  of  feeling  which  is  apt  to  prevail  in  forming 
such  contracts,  is  too  apt  to  be  indulged  in  breaking 
2  D 


338  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

them.  And  hence,  some  who  claim  strong  sensi- 
bility to  the  point  of  honour,  and  even  of  piety,  after 
entering  into  a  solemn  contract  of  this  kind,  have 
not  scrupled  unceremoniously  to  violate  it,  and  per- 
haps in  a  manner,  and  in  circumstances  extremely 
revolting  to  delicate  minds.  Such  cases  are  always 
deeply  to  be  deplored;  and,  where  an  individual  of 
your  profession  is  concerned,  cannot  fail  to  inflict  a 
severe  wound  on  religion.  I  do  not  say,  that  a 
solemnly  betrothed  party  may  in  wo  case  whatever, 
break  off  an  engagement  before  marriage.  For  I 
have  no  doubt  that  new  facts  may  sometimes  arise, 
and  important  discoveries  be  made,  which  will  fully 
justify  such  a  step.  But,  in  my  opinion,  by  far  the 
greater  part  of  the  cases  of  such  conduct  which  occur, 
are  utterly  unjustifiable,  and  deserve  lasting  censure. 
It  is  no  valid  plea  to  say  that  affection  has  cooled. 
That  may  be  an  evidence  that  there  was  juvenile  folly 
and  haste  in  the  engagement;  but  by  no  means 
proves  that  it  may  be  violated  at  pleasure.  Suppose 
affection  to  cool  after  marriage;  what  then  ?  Truly 
it  is  an  unhappy  dilemma;  but  still  it  only  proves 
that  the  man  was  precijntate  at  first,  and  inconstant 
afterwards;  but  neither  branch  of  character  will  add 
much  to  his  reputation  among  the  wise  and  the  good. 
The  remedy  for  all  this  is  obvious.  Be  careful  in 
inquiring.  Be  deliberate  and  prayerful  in  choosing. 
When  you  have  made  the  choice,  and  stand  in  the 
situation  of  one  betrothed,  no  more  admit  the  thought 
of  violating  the  engagement,  than  you  would  think 
of  deserting  a  wife  and  half  a  dozen  children.  And 
even  if  the  most  serious  considerations  arise,  to  make 
a  rupture  of  the  contract,  in  your  view,  necessary, 


FEMALE  SOCIETY,  MARRIAGE.  339 

you  ought  to  regard  it  as  one  of  llic  greatest  misfor- 
tunes of  your  life;  and,  like  (he  English  prelate,  who 
had  committed  an  accidental  homicide,  to  keep  an 
annual  day  of  humiliation  and  fasting  in  memory  of 
it  to  the  latest  year  of  your  course. 

14.  From  the  hour  that  you  become  a  husband, 

LET  IT  BE  YOUR  CARE  TO  SET  AN  EDIFYING  EX- 
AMPLE OF  CONJUGAL  EXCELLENCE.  As  a  clergyman 
ought  to  be  the  most  pious  man  in  his  parish;  to  go 
before  all  his  people  in  the  exemplification  of  every 
Christian  grace  and  virtue;  so  he  ought  to  make  a 
point  of  being /Ae  best  husband  in  his  parish,  of 
endeavouring  to  excel  all  others  in  affection,  kind- 
ness, attention,  and  every  conjugal  and  domestic 
virtue.  Unfortunately,  this  is  not  always  the  case. 
Some  clergymen,  who  preach  well  on  the  duties  of 
husbands  and  wives,  are,  notwithstanding,  austere, 
harsh,  tyrannical,  and  unkind  in  their  own  families. 
Whenever  this  is  the  case,  it  can  seldom  fail  to  be 
known;  and,  when  known,  can  never  fail  to  diminish, 
in  some  degree,  their  official  influence.  But,  I  need 
not  say,  that  your  daily  and  hourly  happiness,  still 
more  than  your  reputation  will  be  involved  in  this 
matter.  It  would  be  unseasonable  here  to  attempt 
even  the  most  cursory  detail  of  conjugal  duties. 
Sufiice  it  to  say,  that  if  you  should  not  love  your 
wife  enough  to  make  the  most  unceasino;  attentions 
and  kindness  to  her  delightful;  if  you  should  not 
have  an  affection  for  her  so  strong  as  to  prompt 
you  to  be  continually  contriving  something  for 
her  happiness,  even  at  the  expense  of  self-denial 
and  sacrifice  on  your  part;  if  the  feelings  of  your 
heart  should  not  spontaneously  dispose  you  to  bear 


340  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

with  hei'  infirmities,  to  cover  her  faults,  to  comply 
with  all  her  reasonable  wishes,  and  to  respect  and 
honour  her  in  the  presence  of  your  family,  as  well  as 
of  strangers;  I  say,  if  you  should  not  have  a  love  for 
your  wife  which  will  prompt  you,  without  constraint, 
to  do  all  this,  it  will  be  vain  to  give  you  counsels  on 
the  subject.  But  with  such  a  governing  attachment 
as  I  have  supposed,  all  this  will  be  easy,  natural,  and 
pleasant.  Do  not,  however,  expect  perfect  bliss  with 
any  woman,  however  lovely  or  excellent.  As  you 
are  yourself  a  fallen  and  depraved  creature;  you 
must  expect  to  find  her  so  too.  And  as  she  will 
certainly  see  much  requiring  to  be  overlooked  and 
forgiven  in  you;  so  you  must  be  willing  to  overlook 
and  forgive,  if  you  hope  to  receive  the  same  favour. 
Even  if  you  find  yourself  somewhat  disappointed  in 
the  woman  of  your  choice,  do  not  imagine  that  this 
will  release  you  from  the  obligation  to  treat  her  with 
unremitting  kindness  and  attention.  Suppose  her  to 
be  somewhat  disappointed  in  you;  would  that  release 
her  from  the  obligation  to  make  you  an  affectionate 
and  attentive  wife  ?  Surely  if  there  be  any  one  who 
is  bound  to  contemplate  this  whole  subject  through 
the  medium  of  Christian  principle,  and  Christian 
dut}',  it  is  a  minister  of  the  gospel. 

But  there  are  two  faults  to  which  attentive  hus- 
bands are  frequently  liable.  The  one  is,  indulging 
in  undue  fondness,  and  even  caresses,  before  com- 
pany. This  is  disgusting  in  any  one,  but  in  a  cler- 
gyman peculiarly  so.  The  other  is,  paying  to  a  wife 
in  company  that  punctilious  and  extreme  attention, 
which  is  really  a  kind  of  overacting,  and  which  sel- 
dom fails  to  be  unfavourably  noticed.     While  you 


FEMALE  SOCIETY,  MARRIAGE.  341 

avoid  both  these  faults,  maintain  that  easy,  unaffected, 
attention,  that  cordial  yet  dignified  kindness,  which 
indicate  a  deep  seated  and  pure  attachment. 

15.  The  conduct  proper  to  be  observed  by  the 

WIVES  AND  DAUGHTERS  OF  CLERGYMEN,  IS  WORTHY 

OF  YOUR  MOST  SERIOUS  ATTENTION.  That  they 
ought  to  study  to  be  exemplary  beyond  the  degree 
which  is  required  of  those  in  the  ordinary  walks  of 
life,  I  suppose  all  will  concede.  As  to  the  precise 
details  of  this  example,  there  will  probably  be  some 
diversity  of  opinion.  In  the  following  hints,  I  give 
you  the  result  of  some  experience,  and  of  the  strong- 
est convictions.  I  represent  the  subject  as  worthy 
of  your  serious  attention,  because  I  take  for  granted 
that  any  woman  whom  you  would  consent  to  marry, 
may  be  expected  to  regard  your  wishes,  properly 
expressed,  with  sacred  attention.  If  there  be  any 
clergyman's  wife  who  wraps  herself  up  in  a  cold  in- 
difference to  the  friends,  the  interests,  and  the  con- 
gregation of  her  husband,  and  who  feels  herself  at 
liberty  to  depart  from  that  line  of  conduct  which  is 
obviously  calculated  to  strengthen  his  hold  on  the 
affections  of  his  people,  and  to  promote  his  general 
comfort,  usefulness  and  honour,  I  can  only  say,  that, 
in  my  view,  whatever  her  other  accomplishments 
may  be,  she  labours  under  either  a  weakness  of  judg- 
ment or  a  defect  of  principle,  which  cannot  but  ren- 
der her  a  pitiable  object  among  all  sober-minded 
observers. 

Whatever  may  be  your  temporal  circumstances,  let 

your  wife,  and  your  daughters,  if  God  should  give 

you  any,  be  studiously  plain  in  their  dress.     Let  no 

marked  expensiveness;  no  devotedness  to  fashion;  no 

2d* 


342  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

flaring  colours;  no  symptom  of  inordinate  attention 
to  ornament,  ever  appear  among  the  members  of  your 
family.  On  the  contrary,  let  simplicity,  modesty, 
economy,  and  the  absence  of  all  ostentation,  in  this 
respect,  be  among  their  invariable  characteristics. 
I  give  this  advice  under  a  deep  persuasion,  not  only 
of  its  justice,  but  also  of  its  importance.  And  I  do 
not  give  it  merely  because,  by  following  it,  much 
unnecessary  expense  may  annually  be  saved.  This, 
indeed,  in  a  Christian  family,  demands  constant  atten- 
tion. But  the  counsel  before  us  ought  to  be  followed 
from  other,  and  far  higher  motives: — for  the  pur- 
pose of  setting  an  example  of  simplicity  and  econ- 
omy; for  the  purpose  of  repressing  those  inordinate 
sacrifices  to  "  bodily  adorning"  which  are  apt  so 
criminally,  and  so  mischievously,  to  prevail  in  all 
polished  society:  and  for  the  purpose,  too,  of  consul- 
ting the  feelings  of  the  less  fashionable  part  of  most 
congregations,  who  are  always  pained,  and  justly 
pained,  at  seeing  the  members  of  their  minister's 
families  dress  in  a  splendid  style.  And  if  you 
imagine  that  the  most  gay  and  wealthy  part  of  a 
pastors'  congregation  would  esteem  any  member  of 
his  family  the  less  for  dressing  in  the  manner  advised, 
you  were  never  more  egregiously  deceived  in  your 
life. 

That  a  clergyman's  wife  ought  also  to  feel  that  she 
bears  an  important  relation  to  the  families  under  his 
pastoral  care,  will,  I  suppose,  be  readily  granted. 
How  far,  indeed,  she  ought  to  aim  at  going  in  the 
important  work  of  visiting  those  families,  cannot 
be  definitely  prescribed.  This  will,  of  course,  depend 
very  much  on  the  situation  of  her  own  family,  her 


FEMALE  SOCIETY,  MARRIAGE.  343 

health,  her  degree  of  leisure,  &c.  But  that  a  pious 
and  prudent  woman  can  accomplish  a  vast  amount  of 
good,  by  visiting  among  the  people  of  her  compan- 
ion's charge;  especially  among  the  females;  not  for- 
getting the  plainest  and  poorest  any  more  than  the 
most  w^ealthy;  and  that  it  is  her  duty  to  do  as 
much  of  this  as  her  circumstances  will  admit,  none 
I  hope  will  be  disposed  to  doubt. 

I  will  only  add,  that  it  is  of  immense  importance 
to  a  clergyman,  that  his  wife  not  only  have,  in  gene- 
ral, good  sense,  and  prudence,  as  before  inculcated, 
hut  that  she,  and  all  the  members  of  his  family, 
should  he  aware  that  it  is  peculiarly  incumbent  on 
them,  as  a  matter  of  decorum,  as  well  as  duty,  to  be 
"  grave,  sober,  no  slanderers,"  habitually  and  deli- 
cately reserved  with  respect  to  every  thing  which 
concerns  either  his  personal  or  official  duties,  and 
constantly  on  their  guard  against  every  thing,  in 
speech  or  behaviour,  which  may,  even  by  possibility, 
implicate  his  character  or  usefulness.  I  wish  the 
wives  and  children  of  clergymen  felt  as  they  ought, 
the  undoubted  truth,  that  every  instance  of  levity  or 
indiscretion  on  their  part,  is  not  only  wrong  in  itself, 
1)ut  tends  also,  in  ways  which  they  little  think  of,  to 
depress  the  reputation  of  those  whom  it  is,  in  every 
respect,  their  highest  interest  to  honour. 

16.  Before  marriage,  as  well  as  afterwards, 
exercise  great  delicacy  in  conversing  with 
FEMALES.  There  are  clergymen,  both  single  and 
married,  who  are  not  sufficiently  attentive  to  this 
point.  Every  thing  that  approaches  to  fondling 
with  females;  frequently  taking  hold  of  their  hands; 
leaning  on,  or  over  their  persons;  saluting  them;  re- 


344  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

tiring  much  with  them  into  private  apartments;  often 
taking  solitary  walks  with  them;  corresponding  with 
them  by  letter,  &c. — are  all  practices  of  which  cler- 
gymen, young  or  old,  ought  to  be  extremely  cautious, 
and  more  especially  in  respect  to  married  females. 
In  a  word,  in  all  your  associations  with  the  other 
sex,  let  your  delicacy  be  of  the  most  scrupulous 
kind.  Shun  not  only  the  reality,  but  even  the  ajo- 
pearance  of  evil.  And  remember  that  the  very  con- 
fidence, with  respect  to  purity,  which  is  commonly 
placed  in  a  clergyman's  character,  while  it  is,  in  some 
respects,  highly  advantageous,  may  become  a  snare 
to  him  in  a  variety  of  ways  easily  conceivable. 

The  importance  of  perfect  delicacy  of  langiiage, 
on  the  part  of  a  clergyman,  in  conversing  with  fe- 
males, has  been  urged  in  a  preceding  letter.  I  shall 
not,  therefore,  now  enlarge  on  the  subject,  further 
than  to  say,  that,  for  any  one  to  use  an  expression, 
in  their  presence,  which  borders  on  the  indecent,  or 
approaches  even  to  double  entendre,  is  to  forfeit  the 
character  of  a  gentleman;  but  for  a  minister  of  reli- 
gion to  be  guilty  of  any  thing  of  this  kind,  is  pecu- 
liarly base.  There  is  no  need,  however,  of  my  adding 
another  syllable  in  support  of  so  plain  a  dictate  of 
common  decorum. 

The  manner  in  which  you  converse  with  women, 
and  especially  with  young  women,  on  the  subject  of 
experimental  religion,  will  be  worthy  of  your  par- 
ticular attention.  Here  the  text  which  stands  at  the 
head  of  this  letter  is  strictly  applicable.  Entreat — 
the  elder  women  as  mothers;  the  younger  as  sis- 
ters, with  all  purity .  Do  not  affect  privacy  in  your 
conversations  with  either,  more  than  the  nature  of 


FEMALE  SOCIETY,  MARRIAGE.  345 

the  case  may  render  absolutely  necessary.  And,  as 
often  as  you  can,  avail  yourself  of  the  aid  of  those 
"  mothers  in  Israel,"  whose  piety,  experience,  and 
influence  render  them  capable  of  eminent  usefulness 
among  anxious  inquirers  of  their  own  sex. 

17.  Let  all  the  time  that  you  spend  in  the  society 
of  females  be  employed  as  much  as  possible 
IN  useful  conversation.  When  young  men  of  the 
world  converse  with  females,  they  commonly,  of  de- 
sign, dwell  on  frivolous  subjects,  because  they  sup- 
pose no  other  to  be  adapted  to  the  capacity  of  their 
sex.  As  this  will  not  be  your  opinion,  if  3'ou  derive 
your  sentiments  from  the  Bible;  so  I  trust  your  prac- 
tice will  be  different.  Never  imagine  that  to  talk  on 
light  and  vain  subjects,  is  to  accommodate  yourself 
to  females.  They  will  neither  respect  nor  thank  you 
for  the  accommodation.  Women  are  just  as  capable 
as  others  of  comprehending  and  discussing  to  advan- 
tage, most  subjects  which  ought  to  be  introduced 
into  any  company.  And  there  are  many  subjects  of 
great  importance,  which  they  are  able  to  treat  in  a 
more  striking  manner,  and  with  a  more  delicate 
touch,  than  most  men.  Avail  yourself  of  this  fact. 
Try  to  turn  every  moment  that  you  spend  in  their 
society  to  good  account,  both  for  yourself  and  for 
them.  Especially  let  religion,  and  the  great  subjects 
connected  with  it,  form  as  much  as  possible,  when 
in  their  company,  the  leading  topic  of  conversation. 
You  cannot  take  a  better  method,  at  once,  to  promote 
their  improvement  and  your  own,  and  to  gain  their 
confidence. 

18.  Never  allow  yourself  to  adopt  those  con- 
temptuous EXPRESSIONS  CONCERNING   THE  FEMALE 


346  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

SEX  GENERALLY,  whicli  liccntious  men  are  so  apt  to 
indulge,  and  which  some  good  men  are  prone,  incon- 
siderately, to  employ.  That  men  who  have  little  or 
no  principle  themselves,  and  who  have  no  real  ac- 
quaintance with  any  but  the  most  worthless  portion 
of  the  other  sex,  should  be  fond  of  throwing  out  re- 
proaches against  the  character  of  women,  as  a  body, 
is  not  wonderful.  But  when  I  hear  a  man  of  know- 
ledge and  piety,  and,  above  all,  a  clergjnnan,  doing 
this,  I  generally  conclude,  either  that  he  is  a  weak 
man;  that  he  has  kept  bad  company;  or  that  he  is 
revenging  some  supposed  ill  treatment  from  an  indi- 
vidual female,  or  some  unhappy  connexion  or  occur- 
rence in  earlier  life.  Be  assured,  my  young  friend, 
this  is  foolish  conduct.  No  truly  wise  man  was  ever 
guilty  of  it.  That  there  is  more  intellectual  culture 
among  men  than  women,  is  evident.  But  that  there 
is  more  native  intellectual  soundness  and  Just  ?iess  of 
mind  among  the  former  than  the  latter,  I  do  not  be- 
lieve. And  that  there  is,  decisively,  more  moral 
excellence  among  women,  in  general,  in  Christian 
countries,  than  among  the  other  sex,  I  am  deliberately 
persuaded.  If  this,  or  an}^  thing  like  this,  be  true, 
then  the  practice  of  speaking  lightly  of  women,  is 
not  just  in  itself;  is  not  agreeable  to  the  word  of  God; 
and  is  not  adapted  to  promote  the  great  interests  of 
virtue  and  piety  in  the  world.  It  can  answer  no 
other  purpose  than  to  harden  licentiousness  in  its 
folly;  to  mislead  the  young;  to  depreciate,  in  the 
view  of  many,  a  most  precious  part  of  the  church  of 
Christ;  and  to  present  an  unnecessary  obstacle  in  the 
way  of  their  usefulness. 

19.  I  have  only  to  add,  as  a  final  counsel,  growing 


FEMALE  SOCIETY,  MARRIAGE.  347 

out  of  all  that  has  been  said  on  this  subject,  that 
you  ENDEAVOUR   TO  :maixtain    a  constant    and 

FIRM  INFLUENCE  ON  THE  MINDS  OF  THE  PIOUS 
FEMALES,  WHEREVER  YOU  RESIDE,       Dcpencl  Upon  it, 

tliis  is  worth  all  the  care  and  pains  you  may  take  for 
its  attainment.  If  you  do  not  stand  well  with  the 
female  portion  of  your  pastoral  charge,  as  I  remarked 
in  the  introduction  to  this  letter,  your  prospect  of 
usefulness  in  the  ministry  will  be  very  small.  If  you 
ask  me  how  the  influence  which  I  recommend  shall 
be  gained  and  preserved  ?  I  answer,  not  by  flattery; 
not  by  any  indirect  or  crooked  arts;  but  by  the 
faithful  and  able  discharge  of  all  your  public  duties; 
by  a  private  conversation,  pure,  delicate,  and  digni- 
fied; and  by  treating  your  female  parishioners  with 
that  respectful  and  appropriate  attention  which  the 
word  of  God,  and  the  interests  of  his  kingdom,  evi- 
dently command.  We  live  in  an  age  in  which  pious 
females  take  a  far  more  active  part  in  promoting  the 
spread  of  the  gospel,  than  was  common  half  a  century 
ago.  Their  associations,  for  a  variety  of  humane  and 
evangelical  purposes,  you  will  be  prepared,  I  trust,  in 
common  with  every  enlightened  minister  of  Christ, 
to  patronize  and  honour.  If  you  do  this;  if  you 
encourage  your  own  wife — if  you  shall  be  so  happy 
as  to  have  a  pious  one — to  take  the  lead  in  every 
laudable  enterprise  among  her  own  sex;  and  if  your 
own  deportment  be,  in  all  respects,  such  as  becomes 
the  Christian  minister  and  gentleman,  I  will  answer 
for  your  acquiring  and  maintaining  as  much  of  the 
influence  of  which  I  speak,  as  you  ought  to  have,  and 
for  your  finding  it  one  of  the  most  valuable  auxiliaries 
in  the  exercise  of  your  ministry. 


LETTER    XIII. 


Let  your  moderation  be  known  unto  all  men. — Philip,  iv.  5. 


DRESS — STYLE     OF      LIVING PECUNIARY     CON- 
CERNS. 

My  dear  young  friend, 

It  may  seem,  at  first  view,  scarcely  necessary,  or 
even  proper,  in  addressing  a  candidate  for  the  minis- 
try in  the  Presbyterian  church,  to  dwell  on  the  sub- 
jects which  appear  at  the  head  of  this  letter.  It  is 
well  known  that  the  temporal  circumstances  of  our 
ministers  are  very  rarely  affluent,  and  seldom  even 
comfortably  easy.  Much  labour,  small  salaries,  and 
habitual  self-denial,  are,  in  general,  the  lot  of  those 
who,  in  our  church,  aspire  to  the  precious  privilege 
of  serving  Christ  in  the  "  ministry  of  reconciliation." 
Why  then,  it  may  be  asked,  should  it  be  deemed 
proper  to  discuss  a  set  of  subjects  which  can  be  con- 
sidered as  claiming  the  particular  attention  of  those 
only  whose  resources  enable  them  to  command  some 
of  the  luxuries  of  life  ? 

This  objection  is  by  no  means  solid.  A  few  of 
our  ministers,  especially  those  who  reside  in  great 
cities,  and  other  populous  places,  have  the  means  of 


ruEss.  349 

living  somewhat  splendidly,  and  are  often  placed 
under  very  strong  temptations  to  do  so.  Some,  who 
are  differently  situated,  have  a  natural  and  almost 
irresistible  propensity  to  show  and  parade,  which 
they  strain  every  nerve  to  indulge;  and  there  are 
even  those  in  the  sacred  profession,  who,  though  ex- 
tremely poor,  are  so  criminally  unwise  and  prodigal, 
as  to  plunge  themselves  into  debt  for  the  gratification 
of  this  propensity.  Surely  a  few  words  applicable  to 
each  of  these  classes  may  be  neither  unseasonable  nor 
useless. 

Perhaps  the  most  serious  difficulties  in  relation  to 
this  point  are  those  which  beset  the  city  clergyman; 
especially  if  his  pastoral  cliarge  include  a  number  of 
fashionable  and  wealthy  females,  and  if  the  provision 
which  they  make  for  his  temporal  support  be,  at  the 
same  time,  pretty  liberal.  If  to  these  circumstances 
be  added  that  of  his  family  being  strongly  predis- 
posed to  expensive  dress,  and  gay  company,  the 
consequences  can  scarcely  fail  of  being  very  unhappy. 
Not  a  few  ministers,  by  yielding  to  temptations  of 
this  kind,  have  grieved  the  hearts  of  tlie  pious; 
weakened  their  own  hands;  and  laid  up  in  store  for 
themselves  the  bitterest,  but  unavailing,  repentance. 
As  you  know  not  the  situation  in  which  you  may  be 
placed;  and  as  it  is  desirable  that  every  young 
minister  should  be  armed  beforehand  against  the 
temptations  which  may  assail  him,  I  trust  you  will 
be  willing  to  listen  to  a  few  suggestions,  derived 
from  some  observation  and  experience,  and  offered 
under  the  most  solemn  impression  that  they  are  wor- 
thy of  your  serious  regard.  Rely  upon  it,  that,  how- 
ever unfavourably  some  of  them  may  now  impress 
2  E 


350  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

your  mind,  you  will  hereafter  find  in  them  more  both 
of  truth  and  importance,  than  it  is  possible  for  any 
one  to  perceive,  who  has  seen  so  little,  compara- 
tively, as  you  have,  of  human  life, 

1.  To  begin  with  your  own  dress.  Wherever 
your  lot  may  be  cast,  whether  in  the  country  or  in  a 
city,  let  your  dress  be  always  plcthi,  but  at  the  same 
time,  ivhoie,  neat  and  dean.  Never  make  it  an 
object  oi  priniU7'y  or  engrossing  attention;  but  at 
the  same  time  never  neglect  it.  Even  if  your  resi- 
dence be  ever  so  retired,  never  appear  in  public 
without  setting  a  good  example  to  your  flock  in  this, 
as  well  as  in  every  other  respect.  Recollect  that  one 
of  the  advantages  of  the  Lord's  day,  and  of  public 
worship,  is  that  they  afford,  at  once,  an  opportunity 
and  an  inducement  to  lay  aside  the  dust  and  dirt  of 
the  week,  in  a  physical  as  well  as  moral  sense,  and 
to  appear  clad  in  habiliments  which  indicate  atten- 
tion, industry,  and  neatness.  And  as  the  minister  of 
the  gospel  is  a  public  character,  and  must  necessarily, 
in  a  great  measure,  live  in  public,  it  is  desirable 
that  he  should  appear  every  day,  when  he  is  in  com- 
pany at  all,  very  much  as  he  ought  to  appear  on  the 
Sabbath.  Let  3^our  dress,  then,  be  always  simple, 
unostentatious  and  economical;  but  let  it  not  be 
slovenly.  Even  if  it  be  coarse,  and  you  cannot 
afford  to  have  it  otherwise;  still  let  it  be  free  from 
all  disgusting  defilement.  Imagine  not  that  any  de- 
gree of  piety,  or  talents,  will  atone  for  total  negli- 
gence of  this  matter.  Be  assured  that  any  man,  who 
is  filthy,  or  even  slovenly  in  his  {person,  however 
striking  may  be  his  accomplishments  in  other  re- 
spects, will  find  his  character  and  influence  depressed 


DRESS.  351 

in  proportion  to  tlic  degree  in  whicii  tliis  evil  pre- 
vails. Such  a  fault  never  did,  and  never  will  exist, 
in  any  case,  with  entire  impunity. 

It  is  the  duty  of  a  minister  to  spend  a  part  of 
almost  every  day,  if  not  in  puhlic,  at  least  in  social 
intercourse:  and  lie  knows  not  at  what  hour  he  may 
1)6  called  upon  to  converse  with  the  most  polished 
and  ceremonious  of  his  parishioners  or  neighbours. 
Now,  in  conversing  with  such  individuals,  it  is  surely 
desirable  that  there  he  nothing  in  his  person  calcu- 
lated to  repel  them,  or  to  diminish  his  influence  over 
them:  nothing  adapted  to  give  them  an  idea  of  fil- 
thiness  or  vulgarity;  hut,  as  far  as  possible,  of  the 
reverse.  I  am  decisively  of  the  opinion,  therefore, 
that  some  clergymen,  who  can  very  well  afford  to  do 
otherwise,  have  been  entirely  too  negligent  of  this 
matter,  in  appearing  in  public.  I  uas  once  acquainted 
Avith  a  minister  of  our  church,  who  was  not  only  in 
very  comfortable  circumstances,  but  rather  entitled 
to  be  called  rieli;  who  was  so  culpably  negligent  of 
•his  dress,  and,  on  a  particular  occasion,  appeared  in 
habiliments  so  unworthy  of  his  character,  that  a  pious 
■lady  was  on  the  point  of  procuring  a  suit  of  clothes 
for  him,  when  she  learned,  to  her  surprise,  that  lie 
■was  not  poor,  and  that  he  would  certainly  be  offended 
by  an  offer  of  such  charity.  He  was  an  uncommonly 
pious,  active  minister;  but  he  had,  as  to  the  point  of 
slovenliness  in  dress,a  constitutional  infirmity;  which, 
you  can  readily  perceive,  might  have  drawn  both 
•himself  and  others  into  a  very  embarrassing  situation. 

I  tiN.ist  you  will  endeavour  to  guard  against  any 
kind  of  excess  on  this  subject.  On  the  one  hand,  to 
fiee  a  minister  of  the  gospel  finicaJ,  or  addicted  to  the 


352  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

love  of  splendour  or  finery  in  dress;  to  see,  in  a  word, 
any  thing  about  his  person  which  discovers  a  special 
attention  to  fashion  or  ornament  in  clothing,  or  a 
peculiar  desire  to  make  a  good  appearance  in  this 
respect,  is  certainly  unworthy  of  his  character.  But, 
on  the  other  hand,  to  see  such  a  degree  of  negligence 
in  reference  to  this  matter  as  is  inconsistent  with 
cleanliness,  and  with  a  decent  respect  for  those  with 
whom  he  associates,  is  equally  disreputable,  and 
quite  as  unfriendly  to  his  usefulness.  Why  should 
an  enlightened,  prudent  man,  allow  himself  to  run 
into  either  extreme  ? 

2.  If  you  should  ever  have  A  family,  the  dress 

OF    THOSE     WHO     BELONG    TO    IT,    WILL    BE    WORTHY 

OF  YOTJR  PARTICULAR  ATTENTION.  I  havc  already 
adverted  to  this  subject  in  the  last  letter.  But  a  few 
additional  suggestions  in  reference  to  it,  in  this  con- 
nexion, may  not  be  entirely  superfluous,  JNot  only 
ought  the  female,  part  of  a  clergyman's  family  to 
avoid  every  thing  that  looks  like  devotedness  to 
fashionable  dress;  every  thing  dazzling,  or  ''dash- 
ing,'*' as  the  popular  style  is;  but  no  such  folly  ought 
to  appear,  as  far  as  it  can  be  avoided,  in  the  dress  of 
any  of  his  household.  A  disposition  to  load  even, 
his  youngest  children  with  tawdry  or  useless  orna-. 
ment,  ought  not  to  be  indulged.  To  make  them 
conspicuous  by  red  shoes,  waving  plumes,  and  ex- 
pensive, shoivi/  decorations,  of  any  kind,  may  gratify 
parental  vanity;  but  cannot  minister  to  the  rational^ 
comfort  of  either  parents  or  children;  and  may  mak© 
an  impression  an  the  minds  of  some  plain  or  poor 
parishioners  which  is  very  far  from  being  desirable. 
Besides:  the  tendency  to  indulge  in  excessive  gJ^iety 


STYLE   OF  LIVING. 


353 


and  ornament  of  dress,  is  so  general,  and,  in  many 
cases,  a  source  of  so  much  evil,  as  remarked  in  a 
former  letter,  that  a  minister  ought  studiously  to  set 
an  example  of  plainness  and  simplicit}'  in  this  re- 
spect, in  all  to  whom  his  influence  extends,  for  the 
purpose  of  promoting  a  similar  habit  in  others.  And 
the  more  able  he  is,  on  the  score  of  expense,  to  in- 
dulge the  inclinations  of  his  family,  the  more  useful 
will  his  example  be  likely  to  prove. 

3.  If  you  live  to  have  a  house  of  your  own,  let 

TOUR     FIJRXITURE,  AND    ALL    YOTJR  EQUIPAGE  BE    OF 

THE  PLAIN  AND  SIMPLE  KIND,  Most  of  the  Con- 
siderations urged  in  the  preceding  paragraph,  apply 
here  with  equal  force.  There  is  so  strong  a  ten- 
dency, in  many  persons  who  can  ill  aftbrd  it,  to  lavish 
expense  on  splendid  furnitui'e,  and  fashionable  equi- 
page of  every  kind;  that  every  well-wisher  to  the 
cause  of  good  morals,  to  say  nothing  of  religion,  ought 
to  throw  the  whole  weight  of  his  character  into 
the  scale  of  the  strictest  moderation.  Even  if  you 
should  be  able,  without  inconvenience,  to  indulge  the 
most  refined  taste  in  matters  of  this  kind,  by  all 
means  forbear  to  do  it.  Let  it  be  seen  that  your 
heart  is  not  set  on  such  objects;  that  you  deliberately 
prefer  simplicity  and  plainness;  and  that  you  con- 
scientiously choose  to  devote  the  nioney  which  might 
have  been  spent  in  splendid,  but  useless  decoration, 
to  the  support  of  the  infinitely  more  important  inter- 
ests of  humanity  and  I'eligion. 

For  example;  if  you  should  feel  yourself  able  to 
keep  any  kind  of  carriage,  always  prefer  a  plain  to 
an  elegant  or  show}'  one.  In  purchasing  /io?'ses,  re- 
collect  that  sound,  substantial,  decent  looking  ani- 

2  E* 


354  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

mals,  are  more  suitable  for  a  minister  of  the  gospel, 
than  those  which  are  remarkable  for  their  beauty, 
which  must,  of  course,  be  much  more  costly,  without 
being  really  more  useful;  and  in  the  use  of  which  his 
parishionei's  would  often  be  tempted  to  remark,  that 
their  minister  was  peculiarly  fond  of  fine  horses. 
The  same  principle  Avill  apply  to  every  article  of 
personal  or  domestic  accommodation.  Make  a  point 
of  never  expending  a  cent  for  show,  or  mere  useless 
decoration;  but  all  for  solid  utility  and  convenience. 
Nay,  of  two  articles  of  exactly  the  same  utility  and 
price,  always  prefer  that  which  is  plain  and  unosten- 
tatious, to  that  which  is  highly  ornamented,  merely 
because  it  is  plain.  I  have  never  known  a  clergy- 
man to  deviate  materially  from  this  plan  of  living; — 
to  affect  splendour; — to  launch  out  into  a  system  of 
dazzling  expenditure,  calculated  to  excite  the  envy, 
or  the  admiration  of  a  staring  multitude,  without  se-  ■ 
riously  depressing  both  his  reputation  and  his  useful- 
ness among  all  reflecting  people.  Indeed,  to  see  a 
minister  of  the  gospel  ambitious  of  finery,  and  car- 
ried away  with  baul)les  and  show,  is  revolting  even 
to  the  devotees  of  the  world  themselves,  who  see  at 
once  how  inconsistent  it  is  with  his  sacred  pro- 
fession. 

4.  Never  allow  yourself  to  live  beyond  your 
INCOME.  He  who  does  this,  must  either  contract 
debts  without  a  rational  prospect  of  paying  them; 
or  he  must  expect  to  have  them  discharged  by  the 
hand  of  charity;  either  of  which  is  unworthy  of  the 
ministerial  character.  However  scanty,  therefore, 
your  income  may  be,  rigidly  reduce  your  expenditure 
within  its  limits.     It  is  not  disreputable  to  be  poor; 


STYLE   OF  LIVING.  355 

but  it  is  highly  disreputable  to  be  prodigal  of  other 
])Coples'  money-  Indeed  it  appears  to  me  that  few 
things  can  more  flagrantly  evince  the  want  of  prin- 
ciple, than  living  luxuriously  on  property  not  our 
own.  A  writer  in  the  Christian  Observer  (Vol.  xxii. 
]),  551),  expresses  himself  on  this  subject  in  the  fol- 
lowing language,  which  does  not  appear  to  me  at  all 
too  strong:  "A  clergyman,  overwhelmed  with  debts 
to  his  parishioners,  whether  his  debts  arise  from 
vanity,  or  from  improvidence,  loses  his  influence 
over  their  minds;  and  it  is  well  if  he  be  not  also 
guilty,  as  too  many  persons  who  heedlessly  plunge 
into  debt,  are,  of  artifices,  evasions,  and  perhaps 
worse  offences,  which  must  bring  him  into  contempt, 
and  utterly  destroy  the  spiritual  effect  of  his  minis- 
trations. However  rigid  the  economy  called  for  by 
a  clergyman^s  circumstances,  to  that  degree  of  eco- 
nomy he  is  conscientiously  bound  to  submit;  and 
every  step  beyond  it,  except  under  inevitable  visita- 
tions of  Providence,  is  an  advance  towards  disgrace 
and  ruin,  both  as  a  man  and  a  minister." 

5.  Manage  all  your  expenses  with  a  wise 
ECONOMY.  I  wish  to  lay  particular  stress  on  the 
word  ^vise.  Every  one  must  perceive  that  economy 
is  a  relative  term.  That  which  might  be  very  pro- 
perly so  termed  in  one,  would  deserve  the  name  of 
exceptionable  parsimony  in  another,  or  of  criminal 
prodigality  in  a  third.  Wise  economy  consists  in 
maintaining  a  just  balance  between  that  which  we 
have  to  spend,  on  the  one  hand,  and  that  which  we 
really  need  to  spend  on  the  other.  Pecuniary  em- 
barrassments, in  the  case  of  clergymen,  as  well  as 
others,  frequently  arise,  not  so  much  from  general 


356  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  ]\rANNERS. 

prodigality,  as  from  expenditures  which  are  not  ne- 
cessary. One  of  the  hest  methods  of  keeping  your 
expenses  within  the  limits  of  your  income,  is,  never 
to  purchase  any  thing,  however  cheap  or  tempting 
the  article  may  be,  unless  you  really  need  it.  He 
who  rigidly  and  prudently  adheres  to  this  rule,  will 
seldom  find  the  state  of  his  finances  very  seriouvsly 
deranged;  and  will  generall}*  have  something  to  spare 
for  the  calls  of  charity. 

6.  Carefully  guard  against  every  thing  ap- 

TROACHING    TO    MEANNESS  IN  THE   MANAGEMENT  OP 

YOUR  PECUNIARY  AFFAIRS.  Frugality  is  always,  and 
in  all  persons,  a  virtue;  but  extreme  and  unseasona- 
ble parsimony,  is  ahvavs  censurable  and  degrading. 
Rely  on  it,  a  sordid,  niggardly  spirit  was  never  use- 
ful to  any  one.  Its  savings  are  pitiful;  its  gains  are 
mean;  and,  like  most  other  vices,  it  generally  defeats 
its  own  purpose;  inducing,  perhaps,  the  very  evil 
which  it  aims  to  avoid.  Many  a  man,  by  low  and 
unmanly  attempts  to  save,  has  been  plunged  into  un- 
expected and  heavy  expenses.  Never  resort  to  any 
means  of  making  money,  inconsistent  with  the  dig- 
nity of  the  clerical  office,  or  which  you  would  feel 
reluctant  to  have  universally  known.  I  have  heard 
of  clergymen,  who  for  the  sake  of  some  petty  gains, 
carried  on,  privately,  a  disreputable  little  trade  in 
articles  of  daily  consumption,  by  pursuing  which, 
with  extreme  exactness  and  parsimony,  they  were 
enabled  to  make  a  few  cents  each  day.  But  It  always 
depressed,  and,  in  some  instances,  totally  ruined  their 
cliaracter  as  ministers  of  religion. 

7.  Conscientiously   avoid   every  thing    crook- 
ed,   OR    EVEN    QUESTIONABLE,    IN    YOUR    PECUNIARY 


PECUNIARY  CCXrERNS.  357 

TRANSACTIONS.  It  is  Hot  eiiough  that  a  minister  of 
the  gospel  sacredly  guard  against  every  thing  in  his 
dealings  really  fraudulent,  and  of  which  the  laws  of 
the  land  can  take  hold.  He  is  here,  as  in  all  other 
concerns,  to  shun  every  approach  to  that  which  is 
incorrect,  or  even  to  that  of  the  correctness  of  which 
there  can  be  the  least  reasonable  doubt.  If  there  be 
any  speculation  or  purchase,  of  the  perfect  fairness 
of  which  there  is  a  popular  question,  however  strong 
may  be  your  own  conviction  of  its  fairness,  have 
nothing  to  do  with  it.  To  go  forward  in  such  an  en- 
terprise may  be  injurious;  but  to  withdraw  from  it 
entirely  is  always  safe.  Wliatever  may  be  your 
opinion  on  the  subject  of  v/hat  is  called  i/.s?/ry,  either 
as  to  the  Bible  meaning  of  the  term,  or  the  wisdom 
of  human  laws  in  reference  to  it,  never  allow  your- 
self to  engage  in  any  transaction,  which  immediately 
or  remotely,  bears  the  least  alliance  to  the  usurious 
character.  In  short,  never  permit  yourself  to  be 
concerned  in  any  pecuniary  aftair,  which,  if,  by  any 
imforeseen  occurrence,  it  should  hereafter  be  dragged 
i)efore  the  public,  could  possibly  implicate  either 
your  probity  or  honour  in  the  minds  of  the  most 
scrupulous.  Remember  that,  in  all  cases  whatso- 
ever, it  is  infinitely  better  to  suffer  wrong,  than  to 
do  wrong;  and  that  many  things  which  would  not  be 
at  all  noticed  in  another  man,  may,  in  a  minister  of 
the  gospel,  be  considered  as  far  from  reputable. 

8.  There  are  some  advantages  in   keeping  a  re- 
gular    ACCOUNT     OF     YOUR      EXPENDITURES.         YoU 

must  by  no  means  suppose  that  this  practice  is  con- 
fined to  men  of  a  parsimonious  spirit.  Some  of  the 
most  judicious,  and  even  liberal   managers  of  their 


358  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

pecuniary  affairs  that  I  have  ever  known,  were  in  the 
constant  habit  of  keeping  such  an  account.  The  pur- 
poses which  it  may  answer,  are  various,  and  by  no 
means  unwortliy  of  regard.  It  will  be  likely  very 
materially  to  promote  a  general  spirit  of  system  and 
order  in  3^our  finances.  It  may  not  only  serve  as  a 
salutary  check  on  unnecessary  expenses;  but  it  may 
enable  you  to  solve  many  important  questions  re- 
specting the  cost  of  living;  and  it  may  form  a  record 
of  no  small  value,  both  as  a  matter  of  curiosity  and 
of  instruction,  in  subsequent  years  of  your  life. 
Such  a  record  has  often  furnished  the  means  of  ascer- 
taining dates,  and  important  facts,  to  an  extent  not  at 
all  contemplated  at  the  time  of  its  formation.  A 
man,  therefore,  of  habitual  order  in  his  affairs,  ought 
to  be  able  to  say,  how  much  he  receives,  and  how 
much  he  expends,  in  every  j-ear  of  his  life;  and 
what  are  the  date  and  amount  of  every  important 
purchase  that  he  makes. 

9.  Persons  of  small  pecuniary  means,  as  clergy- 
men generally  are,  should  make  a  point  of  pay- 
ing   READY    MONEY    FOR    EVERY     THING    THEY    BUY. 

Those  who  purchase  on  credit  never  fail  to  pai/  more 
for  what  they  buy  than  others.  If  you  wish  to  live 
economically,  therefore,  never  go  in  debt  for  any 
thing.  Never  keep  running  accounts  for  your  do- 
mestic supplies.  You  may  thus  save  a  large  per 
centage  on  your  annual  expenditure.  Nor  is  this  all. 
When  you  pay  the  cash  for  every  thing,  you  know 
how  your  money  is  going,  and  can  take  every  step 
with  intelligence  and  distinct  calculation.  But  when 
you  suffer  accounts,  in  half  a  dozen  places,  to  accu- 
mulate, for  six   or  twelve  months  together,  the  pro- 


PECUNIARY  CONCERNS.  359 

bability  is,  that  you  will  find  an  amount  rising  up 
against  you  at  the  end  of  this  time,  altogether  unex- 
pected, and  which  you  are  not  prepared  to  meet.  The 
history  of  the  pecuniary  embarrassments  of  many  a 
clergyman  may  be  traced  to  this  source.  One  who 
has  already  plunged  himself  into  difficulty  by  indis- 
cretion, may  not  be  able  to  act  agreeably  to  this 
advice;  but  by  wise  management  at  the  outset  it  may 
be  generally  done. 

10.  Set  a  good  example  to  your  parishioners,  and 
to  all  around  you  in  contkibuting  to  charita- 
ble AND  pious  objects.  You  will  often  have  oc- 
casion, both  in  public  and  private,  to  inculcate  on 
others  the  exercise  of  Christian  liberality.  Indeed, 
I  have  frequently  thought  that  attention  to  this  duty 
was  not  urged  by  ministers,  either  from  the  pulpit, 
or  in  private,  as  much,  by  any  means,  as  its  import- 
ance demands.  But  what  will  be  the  appearance,  if, 
while  you  strongly  recommend  this  duty  in  words, 
you  set  no  example  of  the  discharge  of  it  in  your 
habits?  It  is  true,  ministers  can  seldom  give  much 
to  charitable  and  pious  objects.  Of  silver  and  gold 
they  commonly  have  but  little  to  bestow  on  any 
thing  beyond  the  daily  provision  of  food  and  raiment. 
But  if  they  exercise  a  just  economy,  they  may  and 
will  have  a  little.  And  if  that  little  be  suitably  di- 
vided, and  cheerfully  bestowed;  if  you  show  a  readi- 
ness, to  the  utmost  of  your  ability,  and  beyond  your 
ability,  to  contribute  to  the  promotion  of  the  Re- 
deemer's kingdom,  you  will  give  one  of  the  best 
possible  evidences  of  your  sincerity  and  zeal. 

11.  Do  not  indulge  a  habit  of  undue  solici- 
tude,   AND    ESPECIALLY    OF    FREQUENT   COMPLAINT, 


360  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

RESPECTING  YOUR  TEMPORAL  SUPPORT.  Where  there 
is  either  an  inordinate  love  of  property,  or  a  queru- 
lous temper,  the  suhjects  oi  salary ,  perquisites,  &c., 
will  be  apt  to  engage  more  attention,  and  to  be  more 
frequently  the  topics  of  conversation,  than  a  minis- 
ter of  the  gospel  ought  ever  to  allow  them  to  be. 
Never  converse  on  subjects  of  this  kind,  unless  it 
becomes  absolutely  necessary;  and  then  let  it  be  done 
sparingly,  and  with  a  few  confidential  friends  only. 
You  may  rest  assured,  that  dwelling  much  on  his  pe- 
cuniary affairs,  in  intercourse  with  his  parishioners, 
never  promoted  the  real  benefit  of  a  clergyman,  either 
as  to  his  purse,  or  his  reputation..  All  that  can  be 
done,  to  any  advantage,  in  providing  for  the  temporal 
comfort  of  a  pastor,  may,  I  am  persuaded,  be  com- 
monly done,  quite  as  effectually,  by  dropping  a  hint, 
now  and  then,  to  a  discreet  friend,  and  much  more  to 
the  honour  of  religion,  than  by  the  most  unceasing 
complaints,  and  the  most  importunate  solicitations. 

12.  Be  not  in  the  habit  of  proposing  to  your  con- 
gregation to  MAKE  SUBSCRIPTIONS  OR  DONATIONS 
FOR    YOUR    SUPPORT,  BESIDES    YOUR    SALARY.       Some 

distinguished  ministers,  both  in  Europe  and  Jimeri- 
ca,  who  had  liberal  salaries,  have  been  repeatedly 
guilty  of  this  indiscretion.  Either  improvidently 
falling  in  debt,  or  being  called  to  meet  some  extra- 
ordinary expenditure,  they  openly  solicited,  or 
indirectly  encouraged  one  private  subscription  after 
another  for  their  own  relief.  This  is  seldom  expe- 
dient, and  often  it  is  exceedingly  injurious.  Where 
any  thing  of  this  kind,  on  a  special  occasion,  once  in 
a  minister's  life,  is  spontaneously,  and  without  his 
knowledge,  set  on  foot  by  a  few  friends,  and  carried 


PECUNIARY  CON-fERNS.  361 

into  execution  with  a  delicate  privacy,  it  may  be 
accepted  without  any  injurious  consequences.  But 
if  he  solicit  it;  or  if  it  be  repeated  from  time  to  time, 
it  cannot  fail,  insensibly,  to  depress  his  standing  with 
his  people.  It  brings  him  before  their  view  too  much 
in  the  character  of  a  pauper;  and  if  he  be  presented 
to  them  in  this  character  again  and  again,  in  spite  of 
every  thing  that  can  be  said  or  done  to  the  contrary, 
he  will  occupy  a  less  respectable  place  in  their  feel- 
ings. No  man  who  ministers  at  the  altar,  ought  ever 
to  consider  a  decent  support,  imparted  by  those 
whom  he  serves,  as  charity.  It  is  nothing  but  his 
due.  And  yet,  there  is  a  certain  spirit  of  indepeii- 
dence  which  his  own  reputation,  and  the  honour  of 
religion,  equally  call  upon  him  to  maintain.  The 
character  of  an  habitual  beggar  for  himself,  is  a 
miserable  one  for  a  minister  of  the  gospel. 

13.  Never  leave  a  congregation  on  account 
op  the  smallness  of  your  salary,  if  you  can 
POSSIBLY  AVOID  IT.  Evcry  minister  ought  to  ex- 
pect from  his  people  a  comfortable  support.  Not 
that  which  will  enable  him  to  live  in  luxur}*;  but 
which  will  place  him  above  want;  and  deliver  him 
from  those  perplexing  cares,  which  a  very  inconve- 
nient scantiness  of  provision  cannot  fail  to  produce. 
If  your  congregation  should  be  entirely  able  to  give 
you  such  a  support  as  I  have  described,  and  yet  de- 
cline or  neglect  to  do  it,  you  ought  to  take  the  ear- 
liest favourable  opportunity  to  leave  them.  The 
workman  is  worthy  of  his  meat.  And  where,  in 
such  circumstances,  it  is  withheld,  those  who  are 
capable  of  deliberately  withholding  it,  ought  to  feel 
the  consequences  of  their  unchristian  parsimony. 
2  F 


362  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

There  is  neither  justice  nor  charity  in  remaining 
with  a  people  who  will  permit  a  faithful  minister  to 
starve,  while  they  are  abundantly  able  to  "  minister 
to  his  necessities." 

But  if  you  should  ever  be  connected  with  a  small 
and  poor  congregation;  a  society  of  an  attentive  aiid 
affectionate  character;  earnestly  desirous  of  furnish- 
ing you  with  a  comfortable  support,  but  really  unable 
to  afford  it;  be  not  ready  to  leave  such  a  people. 
Nay,  if  you  are  happy  and  useful  among  them,  never 
think  of  deserting  them  on  account  of  pecuniary  con- 
siderations, as  long  as  you  can  avoid  it.  Remain 
with  them;  cherish  them;  and  rather  heg  Jbr  them 
than  q/'them.  This  is  almost  the  only  case,  in  which 
I  would  advise  a  minister  of  the  gospel  to  resort,  for 
a  part  of  his  time,  to  some  secular  employment, 
which  might  supply  the  deficiency  of  an  inadequate 
salary,  and  enable  him  to  remain  where  he  otherwise 
could  not  live,  among  a  willing  but  poor  people. 
Stay  with  such  a  people  as  long  as  God,  in  his  Provi- 
dence, renders  it  practicable;  be  willing  to  deny  and 
exert  yourself  for  their  benefit;  and  let  your  re- 
moval from  them  to  accept  of  a  better  support,  be 
your  last  resort. 

14.  If  you  should  ever  be  compelled  to  resort  to 
any  secular  employment,  for  the  purpose  of  supply- 
ing the  deficiency  of  a  small  salary,  let  it  be  an 

EMPLOYMENT  AS  MUCH  AS  POSSIBLE  IN  HARMONY 
WITH    THE    MINISTERIAL    CHARACTER.       There   haVC 

been  clergymen,  who,  finding  their  salaries  altogether 
inadequate  to  the  decent  support  of  their  families, 
even  in  the  most  economical  manner,  and  resolving 
to  devote  a  part  of  their  time  to  some  employment. 


PECUNIARY  CONCERNS.  363 

the  product  of  which  should  supply  the  deficiency  in 
their  official  income,  have  made  a  choice  of  employ- 
ment truly  unhappy.  Some  have  been  either  acting 
or  dormant  partners  in  dislillerics.  Others  have 
engaged  in  large  mercuntUt  business.  A  third  class, 
in  manufactories.  And  a  fourth  in  speculating  on 
notes,  bonds,  or  some  other  species  of  property. 
And  the  history  of  these  pursuits  has  generally  been, 
that,  while  a  few  have  succeeded,  grown  rich,  and 
become  completely  secularized;  the  majority  have 
been  deceived,  ensnared,  and  plunged  into  bank- 
ruptcy, and  perhaps  a  total  wreck  of  Christian  and 
ministerial  character.  Of  the  whole  number  who 
take  this  course,  I  suspect,  a  very  small  portion,  in- 
deed, attained  their  professed  object  with  comfort, 
and  reputation. 

Against  all  such  plans  and  employments,  therefore, 
I  would  warn  you.  If  your  object  should  honestly 
be,  what  is  commonly,  in  such  cases,  professed,  viz. 
not  by  any  means  to  grow  rich;  but  merely  to  make 
such  a  moderate  addition  to  your  scanty  income,  as 
may  enable  you  barely  to  support  your  family  with 
comfort;  then  choose,  as  an  auxiliary,  some  employ- 
ment, which  will  interfere  as  little  as  possible  with 
your  ministry;  which  will  tend  as  little  as  may  be  to 
impart  a  worldly  influence  to  your  mind;  and  which 
may  coincide,  in  a  considerable  degree,  with  your 
ministerial  duties.  Such  an  employment  is  the  edu- 
cation of  youth.  Such  an  employment,  also,  is  the 
editing  and  sale  of  pious  hooks.  These  objects  of 
attention  are  so  far  from  being  hostile  to  moral  and 
even  evangelical  duty,  that  they  fall  in  with  it  en- 
tirely, and  may  be  rendered  essentially  subservient 


364  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

to  the  great  end  of  all  ministerial  labour.  They  have, 
also,  this  further  advantage,  that  the  gains  which 
they  yield  are  commonly  small  and  regular,  and  are, 
of  course,  not  so  apt  to  betray  the  mind  into  a  deeply 
secular  spirit.  Next  to  the  employments  which  I 
have  mentioned,  perhaps  that  of  conducting  a  small 
and  compact  farm  may  fall  in  more  happily  than 
most  others  with  the  duty  of  the  sacred  office. 

15.  If  you  should  be  enabled  to  lay  up  any  portion 
of  property,  for  the  comfort  of  your  family,  never 

ALLOW  IT  TO  ENGROSS  YOUR  THOUGHTS,  OR  TO  BE 
THE  FREQUENT  SUBJECT  OF  YOUR  CONVERSATION  IN 

COMPANY.  He  who  has  commenced,  on  ever  so 
small  a  scale,  the  work  of  accumulating  property, 
and  who  has  occasion,  from  time  to  time,  to  invest 
his  savings  in  some  productive  manner,  is  often 
tempted  to  converse  on  the  subject  with  undue  fre- 
quency and  solicitude,  when  he  falls  in  company 
with  those  who  are  considered  as  well  versed  in 
financial  concerns.  And  in  a  country  of  active  com- 
mercial character,  he  will  meet  with  such  company 
so  frequently,  that  he  will  be  tempted  almost  every 
day  to  converse  on  the  subject.  Thus  his  own  mind 
will  be  apt  to  become  more  and  more  occupied  and 
ensnared  with  secular  concerns,  and  he  will  betray 
the  unhappy  fact  to  those  around  him,  to  the  dishon- 
our of  his  holy  vocation. 

Do  not  allow  yourself,  then,  in  company,  to  talk 
frequently  or  freely  on  ihe  price  of  stocks — the  rise, 
fall,  and  prospects  of  monied  institutions — the  most 
popular  and  eligible  investments,  &c,  &c.  If  any 
thing  on  these  subjects  worthy  of  notice  be  uttered 
in  your  presence,  you  may  quietly  listen  to  it,  without 


PECtTNIART  CONCERNS.  365 

entering  deeply  into  the  conversation  as  a  matter  of 
personal  interest.  If  you  need  information  to  enable 
you  to  act,  seek  it  privately  from  those  who  are  most 
competent  to  inform  you,  and  most  worthy  of  your 
confidence.  But  do  not  exhibit  yourself  as  the  zeal- 
ous devotee  of  such  things.  Few  habits,  not  openly 
criminal,  are  more  revolting,  than  to  hear  a  minister 
of  the  gospel,  in  mixed  companies,  talking  like  a 
bank  director,  or  stockjobber.  It  ought  to  be  one  of 
the  great  objects  of  his  life  to  turn  off  the  minds  of 
men  from  inordinate  attention  to  these  transient  pos- 
sessions, and  to  endeavour  to  fasten  them  on  higher 
and  better  treasures. 

IG.  If  you  should  possess  any  property,  guard 
against  investing  it  in  such  a  manner  as  will  be  like- 
ly to  IMPLICATE  you  IN  FREQUENT  LITIGATION, 
AND  COMPEL  YOU  FREQENTLY  TO  RESORT  TO  LE- 
GAL COERCION.  This  is  highly  undesirable  to  any 
man;  but  to  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  it  is  absolutely 
ruinous  on  the  score  of  reputation.  It  is  the  practice 
of  many  to  invest  their  property  in  notes,  in  bonds, 
and  mortgages,  and  in  various  forms  of  private  secu- 
rity. This  plan  may  answer  very  well  for  him  whose 
disposition  and  character  permit  him  frequently  to 
contend,  and  to  resort  to  legal  measures;  but  is  by  no 
means  suitable  for  one  who  can  hardly  take  the 
proper  steps,  in  the  plainest  case,  to  obtain  his  just 
due,  without  subjecting  himself  to  invidious  remark, 
and  from  no  quarter  more  commonly  or  severely  than 
from  those  worldy  men,  who  are  themselves,  every 
day,  plunged  and  steeped  in  such  proceedings.  Men 
in  other  stations,  of  the  best  character,  may  sue  their 
debtors,  may  foreclose  mortgages,  and  get  what  is 
2f* 


366  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

rightly  their  own,  without  injury  to  their  reputation. 
But  a  clergyman  cannot.  He  is  expected  to  bear 
with  endless  delays;  to  forgive  debts,  where  it  is  not 
entirely  convenient  to  pay  them;  and  to  surrender 
claims  where  the  richest  man  in  the  land  would  not 
be  expected  to  do  it.  On  all  these  accounts,  and 
others  which  might  be  mentioned,  be  not  fond  of  in- 
vesting property  in  any  kind  of  private  securities, 
unless  they  are  of  a  peculiarly  firm  and  eligible  kind. 
Public  stocks,  of  the  most  secure  character,  are 
greatly  preferable;  because  the  interest  on  them  is 
paid  the  moment  it  is  due,  without  dunning  or  trouble; 
because  they  may  be  turned  into  cash  at  any  hour; 
and  because  neither  holding  nor  selling  them  is  likely 
to  drag  their  owner  before  the  public  view  in  a 
commercial  attitude.  For  the  same  reason,  be  not 
fond  of  investing  property  in  small  tenements,  the 
renting  of  which  will  be  apt  to  bring  you  in  constant 
collision  with  tenants,  who,  more  than  half  the  time, 
will  be  unable  or  unwilling  to  pay  you  your  rent. 
Such  property,  you  will  always  find  to  give  you 
much  trouble,  and  yield  you  little  profit.  Whereas 
the  true  policy  of  every  minister  of  the  gospel  is,  to 
place  all  his  property,  as  far  as  practicable,  in  such  a 
situation,  as  will  give  him  the  least  possible  trouble, 
or  even  care,  occupy  as  little  as  may  be  of  his  time, 
and  render  his  moderate  profits  regular  and  certain. 
17.  Finally;  guard  with  the  utmost  vigi- 
lance, AGAINST  the  ENCROACHMENTS  OF  A  GRASP- 
ING, MERCENARY  SPIRIT.  That  a  minister  should 
desire  to  be  furnished  with  a  decent  and  comfortable 
support  for  his  beloved  family;  that  he  should  even 
be  desirous,  if  it  be  the  will  of  God,  to  leave  some- 


PECUNIARY  CONCERNS.  367 

thing  behind  him  to  preserve  a  widow  and  children 
from  utter  beggary,  every  man  who  has  a  family,  and 
domestic   feelings,  will   think  both  natural  and  rea- 
sonable.    But  the  moment  one  who  occupies  the  sa- 
cred office  goes  beyond  this  moderate  and  reasonable 
wish;  the  moment  a  strong  and  governing  desire  of 
accumulating  property  takes  possession  of  his  mind, 
he  may  bid  adieu  to  all  steady  ministerial  zeal,  to  all 
exemplary  devoted  ness  to  his  Master's  work.   Preach 
with  orthodoxy,  and  some  degree  of  animation,  he 
may;  visit  his  parishioners,  to  a  certain  extent,  he 
may ;  but  a  devoted  labourer  in  the  vineyard ;  a  labour- 
er who  has  one  great  object  in  view, — the  extension 
and  glory  of  his  Master's  kingdom,  and  who  makes 
all  his  pursuits  subservient  to  that  object,  he  will  not 
be.  Few  things,  rely  upon  it,  are  more  hostile  to  the 
spirit   of  piety,   and    of  ministerial  fidelity,  than  a 
spirit  of  worldly  acquisition.     It  is  just  as  true  of  a 
minister  as  of  any  other  professing  Christian, — that 
"no  man  can  serve  two  masters."     If  you  should 
ever  be  so  unhappy  and  criminal,  as  to  give  yourself 
up  to  the  spirit  of  worldly  gain,  it  will  eat  out  the 
vitals  of  your  comfort,  your  zeal  and  your  usefulness. 
It  will  exhibit  you,  like  Samson  to  the  Philistines, 
a  poor,  enervated,  despoiled  object.     It  is  just  as  im- 
possible  for   a   man  to  be   a    great   accumulator  of 
property,  and  at  the  same  time  a  faithful,  devoted 
minister  of  Christ,  as  it  is  to  establish  a  fellowship 
between  light  and  darkness,  Christ  and  Belial. 


LETTER    XIV. 


Let  all  things  be  done  decently  and  in  order. — 1  Cor.  xiv.  40. 


MISCELLANEOUS  COUNSELS. 

My  dear  young  friend, 

I  CANNOT  consent  to  close  this  manual,  although, 
perhaps,  already  too  much  protracted,  without  calling 
your  attention  to  a  few  counsels  not  included  in  any 
of  the  foregoing  letters.  In  stating  these,  I  shall  not 
be  studious  of  any  regular  order, 

i.  Be  careful  to  form  the  habit  of  scrupu- 
lous    PUNCTUALITY    TO    ALL     YOUR     ENGAGEMENTS. 

The  importance  of  this  habit  is  very  great,  as  already 
mentioned,  even  while  you  are  a  student  in  the  semi- 
nary. But  if  you  should  live  to  be  clothed  with  the 
sacred  office,  and  to  form  the  numerous  and  diversi- 
fied engagements  which  will  be  likely  to  mark  every 
week,  if  not  every  day,  of  your  subsequent  course, 
you  will  see,  if  I  mistake  not,  a  degree  of  import- 
ance attached  to  this  matter,  not  easily  calculated. 
When  you  have  appointed  a  day  and  an  hour  for  the 
performance  of  any  duty,  or  to  meet  other  persons 
on  business,  you  have  made  a  contract,  which  can- 
not be  innocently  broken,  unless  the  providence  of 


MISCELLANEOUS  COUNSELS.  369 

God  render  the  fulfilment,  of  it  impossible.  Every 
time  )"ou  are  guilty  of  such  violation,  you  may 
greatly  incommode,  and  even  seriously  injure,  one 
or  more  individuals,  and  sometimes  many  individuals, 
by  compelling  them  to  waste  precious  time  in  wait- 
ing for  you.  What  right  have  you  to  do  this  ?  Is  it 
not  as  real  a  robbery  as  taking  a  purse  ?  How  men, 
professing  to  be  conscientious,  and  to  have  any  just 
estimate  of  the  value  of  time,  can  allow  themselves 
to  act  thus,  I  have  always  been  at  a  loss  to  under- 
stand. There  is  a  degree  of  complicated  mischief 
about  it,  which,  whatever  others  may  do,  clergy- 
men ought  certainly  to  abhor.  Let  me  entreat  you, 
whether  you  regard  your  duty  or  your  reputation; 
your  own  time,  or  the  time  of  others; — to  be  rigor- 
ously punctual  to  every  appointment.  Establish  a 
character  for  punctuality,  and  you  will  find  the  great 
advantage  of  it,  not  only  in  obtaining  the  confidence 
of  those  with  whom  you  may  be  called  to  transact 
business;  but  also  in  promoting  a  similar  habit 
among  those  with  whom  you  associate.  Like  other 
virtues,  the  one  of  which  I  speak  propagates  itself, 
and  is,  eminently,  its  own  reward. 

2.  You  will  never  accomplish  much,  either  in  study 
or  in  action,  without  a  large   share   of    what 

MAY  BE   CALLED  DECISION   OF    CHARACTER.       By  this 

quality,  I  mean  that  bold,  steady,  persevering  firm- 
ness of  purpose,  and  ardour  of  pursuit,  which  stand 
opposed  to  timidity,  indolence  and  irresolution: — 
that  unwavering  confidence  in  the  rectitude  and  im- 
portance of  his  pursuit,  which  prompts  a  man  to 
press  forward  in  it,  with  a  constancy  which  nothing 
can  shake;  with  a  courage,  which  nothing  can  intimi- 


370  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

date;  and  with  a  resolution  which  nothing  can  divert. 
This  decision  of  character  appeared,  pre-eminently, 
in  Luther,  in  Calvin,  in  Wesley,  in  Whitefield,  in 
Howard,  and  in  many  other  men,  whose  history  and 
services  will  readily  occur  to  your  recollection.  It 
led  them  to  surmount  opposition,  to  brave  dangers, 
to  undergo  the  most  indefatigable  labour,  to  fulfil 
their  engagements  with  punctuality,  whatever  it 
might  cost  them  to  do  so,  and  to  pursue  the  object 
which  conscience  told  them  was  right,  without  hesi- 
tation, and  without  turning  to  the  right  hand  or  the 
left,  until  it  was  attained. 

There  is  nothing  which  a  public  man  needs  more 
than  a  large  portion  of  this  spirit,  impelled  and  regu- 
lated by  Christian  principle.  If  he  be  feeble  and 
wavering  in  his  purposes;  inconstant  in  his  pursuits; 
easily  discouraged,  and  diverted  from  them;  and  fre- 
quently persuaded  to  abandon  undertakings  ardently 
begun,  and  to  enter  on  others,  only  to  abandon  them 
in  like  manner; — he  may  make  many  promises  and 
much  noise;  but  he  will  do  little.  He  will  never  be 
ready  for  his  work;  never  punctual  to  his  appoint- 
ments; never  either  energetic  or  persevering  in  his 
exertions.  If  you  are  willing  to  be  such  a  man,  I 
altogether  mistake  your  character.  Yet  thousands 
really  bear  this  stamp,  who  are  far  from  intending  it. 
If  you  wish  to  do  much  for  the  church,  and  for  your 
generation,  be  not  obstinate,  but  be  firm;  be  not 
blustering,  but  systematic,  decisive  and  persevering. 
Be  deliberate  and  wise  in  resolving;  but  determined, 
unyielding,  and  indefatigable  in  execution.  Do  not 
let  every  idle  individual,  or  every  trivial  difiiculty, 
break  in  upon  your  plans,  or  fritter  away  your  time. 


MISCELLANEOUS  roUXSELS.  371 

Remember  that  your  time  is  short;  j-our  work  great; 
the  necessities  of  immortal  souls  unspeakably  urgent; 
and  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ  immediately  in  pros- 
pect. If  you  really  act  in  the  spirit  of  these  con- 
siderations, you  will  accomplish  more  in  a  month, 
than  a  timid,  pliant,  irresolute,  procrastinating  man, 
however  pious,  in  six  months,  or  a  year. 

3.  Maintain  the  constant  and  persevering 
HABIT  OF  EARLY  RISING.  This  habit  is  conducive, 
to  an  extent  which  few  appear  to  be  aware  of,  to  the 
iiealth  and  activity,  both  of  the  body  and  of  the 
mind.  It  has  been  often  observed,  tliat  those  who 
are  remarkable  for  health  and  long  life,  have  been 
almost  always  early  risers.  A  disposition  to  lie  long 
in  bed  in  the  morning,  is,  at  once,  a  symptom  and  a 
cause  of  feeble  digestion,  of  nervous  debility,  and  of 
general  languor.  Whereas  early  rising  is  commonly 
connected  with  sound  sleep;  with  elasticity  of  body 
and  mind;  and  with  habits  of  activity,  which  are 
greatly  conducive  both  to  health  and  comfort.  Nor 
is  this  practice  less  conducive  to  success  in  mental 
improvement.  It  not  only  tends  to  give  a  daily 
spring  to  the  mind,  but  also  to  make  a  very  import- 
ant addition  to  your  studying  hours.  He  who  is 
called  to  engage  in  much  mental  exertion,  and  is,  at 
the  same  time,  liable  to  many  interruptions,  ought  to 
make  a  point  of  securing  several  hours,  of  unbroken 
study,  before  he  will  be  liable  to  the  calls  of  the 
earliest  visitant.  Often  as  the  following  remark  of 
Dr.  Doddridge  has  been  repeated,  I  cannot  forbear 
once  more  to  transcribe  it.  "  I  will  here  record," 
says  he,  "  the  observation  which  I  have  found  of 
great  use  to  myself,  to  which  I  may  say,  that  the 


372  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

production  of  this  work,  and  most  of  my  other 
writings  is  owing;  viz.  that  the  difference  between 
rising  at  jive  and  at  seven  of  the  clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, for  a  space  of  forty  years,  supposing  a  man  to  go 
to  bed  at  the  same  hour  at  night,  is  nearly  equivalent 
to  the  addition  of  ten  years  to  a  man's  life,  of  which 
(supposing  the  two  hours  in  question  to  be  spent) 
eight  hours  every  day  should  be  employed  in  study 
and  devotion."  Let  me  exhort  you,  therefore,  at  all 
seasons  of  the  year,  to  rise  early;  in  winter  before  it 
is  light,  and  in  summer  with  the  sun.  In  cold  weather, 
kindle  your  own  fire;  and  in  warm,  walk  out,  work 
in  your  garden;  or  in  some  other  situation,  exercise 
your  limbs,  and  inhale  the  fresh  air.  Before  you 
take  your  breakfast,  you  ought  always  to  have  spent, 
according  to  the  season  of  the  year,  from  one  to  two 
hours  in  devotion,  in  study,  and  in  some  active  re- 
creation in  the  open  air. 

You  may  rely  upon  it,  that  a  faithful  adherence  to 
this  course,  though  at  first  irksome,  will  be  in  the  end 
pleasant;  will  be  conducive  to  good  health,  and  good 
spirits;  and  will  enable  you  to  accomplish  far  more 
of  your  appropriate  work  than  can  ever  be  accom- 
plished by  the  tardy  riser,  who  finds  himself,  the 
whole  day,  running  and  struggling  in  vain,  to  regain 
the  lost  hours  of  the  morning.  But  if  you  would  be 
an  early  riser,  you  must  retire  early  to  bed.  These 
are  correlative  duties  which  cannot  be  separated. 

4.  Few  young  men  that  I  have  ever  seen,  appeared 
to  me  to  have  any  just  impression  either  of  the 

IMPORTANCE,  OR  OF  THE  PROPER  METHODS,  OF  PRE- 
SERVING THEIR  HEALTH.  My  Original  intention  was 
to  devote  a  whole  letter  to  this  subject:  but  finding 


MISCELLANEOUS  COUNSELS.  373 

the  volume  unexpectedly  to  swell  under  my  hands, 
and  becoming  more  conscious,  the  longer  I  reflected 
on  the  subject  of  my  inability  to  do  justice  to  it  in 
detail,  I  shall  content  myself  with  a  few  short  para- 
graphs. 

There  are  two  extremes  to  which  young  men  are 
prone  in  relation  to  this  matter.  The  one  is,  to  ima- 
gine that  the  citadel  of  their  health  is  impregnable. 
That  no  care  of  it  is  necessary.  That  they  may  take 
any  liberties  with  it,  and  lay  any  burdens  upon  it 
that  they  please.  The  other  is,  to  suppose  that  great 
scrupulousness  of  attention  to  this  subject  is  desirable. 
That  a  multitude  of  rigid  cautions;  a  frequent  resort 
to  medicine;  guarding  against  all  exposure  to  cold 
and  damp  weather;  much  wrapping  up,  &c.  &c.,  are 
indispensable.  He  who  acts  upon  either  of  these 
plans,  will  probably  soon  render  himself  a  miserable 
invalid  for  life,  if  he  do  not  speedily  cut  short  his 
days.  Scarcely  any  young  man,  who  has  led  an 
active  life,  in  the  pure  air  of  the  country,  and  who 
commences  study  with  firm  and  florid  health,  is 
aware  of  the  danger  which  he  encounters  in  sitting 
down  to  close  intellectual  application.  I  have  known 
a  constitution  the  most  robust,  in  six  or  twelve 
months  after  this  change  of  habit  was  commenced, 
suddenly  give  way,  and  become  utterly  broken  and 
prostrated.  The  truth  is,  the  more  active  the  pre- 
vious habits,  and  the  more  vigorous  the  frame  of  a 
youthful  individual,  when  he  sits  down  to  close  study; 
the  greater  need  is  there,  in  many  cases,  for  the  ex- 
ercise of  caution,  and  for  keeping  up,  at  least  for  a 
time,  a  set  of  rules,  as  to  exercise,  nearly  approxi- 
mating to  his  former  habits.     The  transition  from  an 


374  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

active  to  a  sedentary  life,  must  be  made  very  gradu- 
ally, if  you  would  make  it  safely. 

My  counsel  in  reference  to  health  shall  all  be 
summed  up  in  four  advices,  viz.  Be  strictly  tem- 
perate with  regard  to  aliment.  Take  every  day  a 
large  portion  of  gentle  exercise.  Carefully  guard 
against  all  intestinal  constipation.  And  always 
avoid  too  much  ivarmth,  both  in  your  clothing,  and 
your  apartment,  quite  as  vigilantly  as  you  would  too 
much  cold. 

With  regard  to  the  Jii^st;  remember  that  temper- 
ance in  you,  is  a  very  different  thing  from  temper- 
ance in  a  day-labourer.  The  latter  may,  in  common, 
safely,  and  even  profitably,  take  two  or  three  times 
the  amount  of  aliment,  that  can  be  ventured  upon  by 
a  sedentary  man.  If  a  given  portion  of  solid  food 
oppress  you,  gradually  diminish  the  quantity,  care- 
fully watching  the  effect,  until  you  ascertain  the 
quantity  which  is  best  suited  to  your  constitution, 
and  after  which  you  feel  most  strong,  active,  and 
comfortable,  both  in  body  and  mind.  It  is  plain  that 
this  matter  can  be  regulated  only  by  the  individual 
himself;  and  that  it  requires  daily  watchfulness  and 
resolution.  Many  students,  I  have  no  doubt,  bring 
themselves  to  a  premature  grave,  by  over-eating,  as 
effectually  as  others  by  intemperate  drinking.  The 
effects  of  the  former  species  of  excess,  are  not  quite 
so  manifest,  or  quite  so  disreputable,  as  those  of  the 
latter,  but,  in  a  multitude  of  cases,  they  are  no  less 
fatal.  He  who  is  so  infatuated  as  to  persist  in  taking 
but  little  exercise,  ought  certainly  to  eat  but  little. 
And  he  who  takes  no  exercise,  ought  often  to  ask 
himself,  how  far  that  inspired  Scripture  applies  to 


MISCELLANEOUS  COUNSELS.  375 

his  case — "  If  any  man  will  not  work,  neither  shall 
he  eat."  The  answer  of  Sir  Charles  Scarborough, 
physician  to  Charles  II.,  to  one  of  the  courtiers  of 
that  monarch,  is  worthy  of  heing  remembered — 
"  You  must  eat  less,  or  take  more  exercise,  or  take 
physic,  or  be  sick."  Recollect,  too,  that  our  reli- 
gion enjoins  not  ov\\y  prayer,  hut  fasting  also.  By 
this  I  understand  to  be  meant,  not  metaphorical  or 
moral  abstinence,  as  some  have  strangely  imagined, 
but  literal  a])stinence,  from  food.  How  often  this 
abstinence  should  take  place,  I  presume  not  to  say. 
Let  every  one  judge  for  himself.  But  that  the  fre- 
quent recurrence  of  it  would  be  as  favourable  to  the 
health  and  enjoyment  of  a  student,  as  to  his  spiritual 
benefit,  I  have  not  the  smallest  doubt. 

The  importance  of  taking  a  large  portion  of  gentle 
exercise  every  day,  can  scarcely  be  overrated.  Every 
student  who  wishes  to  preserve  good  health  and 
spirits  ought  to  be  moving  about  in  the  open  air  from 
three  to  four  hours  daily.  You  may  live  with  less, 
and,  perhaps,  enjoy  tolerable  health.  But  if  you 
wish  fully  to  possess  the  mens  sana  in  corpore  sano, 
of  whieii  the  Latin  Poet  speaks,  rely  upon  it,  with 
most  students,  less  will  not  answer.  Your  exei'cise 
ought  to  be  gentle.  Some  students,  after  exhausting 
themselves  by  a  protracted  season  of  severe  study, 
start  from  their  seats,  issue  forth,  and  engage  in  some 
violent  exercise,  which  throws  them  into  a  profuse 
perspiration,  from  which  they  can  scarcely  emerge 
with  impunity.  In  many  cases,  they  had  much 
better  have  continued  to  sit  still.  Your  exercise 
ought  to  bear  a  strict  proportion  to  your  constitution 
and  your  habits.     Gentle  exercise  difiused  through 


376  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

four  hours,  is  much  better  adapted  to  a  sedentary  man 
than  a  concentration  of  the  same  amount  of  motion 
within  the  space  of  one  hour.  It  is  also  worthy  of 
remark,  that  exercise  taken  either  immediately  be- 
fore or  immediately  after  eating,  is  both  less  com- 
fortable, and  less  valuable,  than  if  at  least  an  hour  of 
rest  intervene.  No  prudent  traveller  will  feed  his 
horse  immediately  after  his  arrival  at  the  place  of 
baiting,  or,  if  he  can  avoid  it,  put  him  on  the  road 
again  as  soon  as  he  has  swallowed  his  food.  The 
same  principle  applies  to  all  animal  nature. 

My  third  advice  has  a  respect  to  intestinal  con- 
stipation. There  can  be  no  health,  where  this  is 
suffered  long  to  continue.  And  yet  it  is  a  point  to 
which  few  inexperienced  students  are  as  attentive  as 
they  ought  to  be.  They  either  neglect  it,  until  a 
decisive  indisposition  convinces  them  of  their  folly; 
or  they  are  very  frequently  endeavouring  to  remove 
it  by  the  use  of  medicine.  Both  methods  of  treating 
the  difficulty  are  miserably  ill-judged.  Medicine 
ought  to  be  the  last  resort;  and  is  seldom  necessary 
unless  where  there  has  been  great  mismanagement. 
Exercise,  abstemiousness,  and  the  judicious  use  of 
mild,  dietetical  aperients,  form  the  system  which  a 
little  experience  will  show  you  to  be  the  best. 

The  temperature  of  your  room,  and  of  your  body, 
is  the  last  point  in  reference  to  health  to  which  I 
shall  request  your  attention.  A  student,  whose  ro- 
bustness is  almost  always  in  some  degree  impaired 
by  sedentary  habits,  ought  never  to  allow  himself,  if 
he  can  avoid  it,  to  be  in  the  least  degree  chilly,  when 
he  is  sitting  still.  But  it  is  quite  as  unfriendly  to 
health  to  allow  himself  to  be  over  heated,  either  by 


MISCELLANEOUS  COUNSELS.  377 

the  atmosphere  of  a  room  excessively  warmed,  or  by 
too  great  a  load  of  clothing.  Every  thing  of  this 
kind  onglit  to  be  carefully  avoided.  So  far  as  expe- 
rience, in  relation  to  my  own  case,  goes,  I  am  con- 
strained to  say,  that  excessive  heat  has  been  quite  as 
often,  to  me,  the  source  of  disease,  as  excessive  cold. 
He  who  is  about  to  take  a  long  walk,  in  the  course 
of  which,  he  has  an  oi)portunity  of  keeping  himself 
warm  by  constant,  vigorous  motion,  ought  just  as 
carefully  to  avoid  covering  himself  with  an  overcoat, 
while  his  walk  continues,  as  he  ought  to  be  to  avoid 
sitting  in  a  cold  place,  or  in  a  draft  of  air,  at  the  end 
of  his  walk,  wiliiout  it. 

You  will  gather  from  the  foregoing  remarks,  that 
my  plan  for  preserving  health,  is  by  no  means  that 
of  tampering  with  medicines,  which  is  much  more 
likely  to  make  a  valetudinarian,  than  a  man  of  good 
health;  but  that  of  employing  wisely  and  vigilantly 
the  art  of  jn'eveiitioyi.  You  have  now,  through  Di- 
vine favour,  a  good  constitution.  Try  to  keep  it,  by 
avoiding  every  species  of  excess,  and  by  watching 
every  approach  of  derangement;  and,  under  the 
blessing  of  God,  all  will  be  well. 

5.  Never  permit  yourself  to  get  into  a  whining, 

COMPLAINING      HABIT,     WHEN      SPEAKING      OF      TOUR 

BODILY  HEALTH.  You  and  I  know  some  clergymen, 
both  young  and  old,  who  have,  by  some  means, 
gotten  into  the  unhappy  practice,  whenever  they  are 
asked,  by  an  acquaintance,  how  they  do,  of  playing 
the  invalid,  in  rather  a  ludicrous  manner;  continu- 
ally complaining  of  more  or  less  indisposition;  giving 
a  minute  history  of  their  little  ailments  and  difficul- 
ties; and  really  appearing  to  take  a  kind  of  comfort 
2g^ 


378  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

from  being  listened  to  in  a  narrative  of  their  own 
sufferings.  Carefully  guard  against  this  habit.  It  is 
disgusting  in  itself;  troublesome,  and  in  no  respect 
attractive,  to  your  friends;  calculated  to  gain  strength 
by  indulgence;  and,  in  the  end,  to  increase  the  real 
evils,  and  to  turn  into  real,  the  imaginary  evils  of 
which  it  complains.  Unless  there  be  something  very 
peculiar  in  the  state  of  your  health,  answer  all  in- 
quiries respecting  it  in  a  single  sentence.  Trouble 
nobody  but  your  physician  with  a  minute  detail  of 
your  pains,  and  aches,  and  infirmities;  not  merely 
because  it  is,  to  many,  a  revolting  story;  but  because, 
the  influence  of  this  habit  on  your  own  mind,  when 
indulged  to  a  considerable  extent,  cannot  fail  of  being 
unhappy.  Talking  much  about  your  complaints, 
will  lead  you  to  think  much  of  them;  and  thinking 
much  of  them,  will  almost  infallibly  lead  to  an 
increase  of  their  power,  whether  real  or  imaginary; 
and  finally  make  you  a  rrriserable  bundle  of  com- 
plaints and  infirmities.  Cultivate  a  cheerful  tem- 
per, and  it  will  diffuse  a  happy  influence  over  your 
whole  character. 

6.  Wherever  you  reside,  endeavour  always  to  ac- 
quire and  maintain  an  influence  with  young 
MEN.  They  are  the  hope  of  the  church  and  of  the 
state;  and  he  who  becomes  instrumental  in  imbuing 
their  minds  with  sentiments  of  wisdom,  virtue  and 
piety,  is  one  of  the  greatest  benefactors  of  his  spe- 
cies. They  are,  therefore,  worthy  of  )'^our  special 
and  unwearied  attention.  Take  every  opportunity 
of  becoming  acquainted  with  them,  and  of  conversing 
with  them  in  a  kind  and  friendly  manner.  Manifest 
an  interest  in  their  education,  in  their  studies,  and  in 


MISCELLANEOUS  COUNSELS.  379 

all  their  temporal  as  well  as  spiritual  concerns.  En- 
deavour to  have  the  serious  and  pious  of  their  num- 
her  united  in  associations  of  a  moral  and  religious 
character;  that  they  may  know  one  another;  that  they 
may  be  prepared  to  act  together;  and  that  they  may 
he  as  generally  as  possible  brought  under  a  good  in- 
fluence, and  inured  to  good  liabits.  Often  meet  and 
advise  with  them,  and  endeavour  to  engage  them  in 
laudable  and  useful  employments.  Encourage  them 
to  visit  you;  and  exert  yourself  to  render  their  visits 
pleasant  as  well  as  profitable.  Distinctly  address 
them  now  and  then,  in  a  respectful  and  affectionate 
manner,  in  your  public  discourses.  Make  them  the 
frequent  objects  of  public  prayer,  especially  in  prayer- 
meetings.  In  short,  employ  every  Christian  method 
of  attaching  them  to  your  person  and  ministry,  and 
of  inducing  them  to  take  an  early  interest  in  the 
afitiirs  of  the  church.  If  you  should  live  in  a  city,  or 
populous  town,  keep  a  watchful  eye  on  all  young  men 
who  may  remove  to  the  place  of  your  residence. 
Take  the  earliest  opportunity  of  visiting  them;  of 
gaining  their  confidence,  and  bringing  them  within 
the  sphere,  and  under  the  power  of  hallowed  princi- 
ples. I  know  of  no  way  in  which  an  ambassador  of 
Christ  will  be  more  likely  to  establish  a  beneficial 
influence,  and  to  promote  the  extension  of  the  Re- 
deemer's kingdom,  than  by  wisely  and  faithfully 
acting  in  conformity  with  this  advice. 

7.  When  you  are  introduced   into  the   ministry, 
endeavour  always,  throughout  life,  to  be  on  good 

TERMS  WITH  YOUR  CLERICAL  BRETHREN.       YoU  haVC 

known  lawyers  and  physicians  who  were  always  on 
hostile  terms  with  their  professional  brethren.     Like 


380  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

Ishmael,  of  old,  their  hands  were  against  every  one, 
and  every  one's  hands  against  them.  But  I  presume 
you  never  knew  such  an  individual  who  was  truly 
respectable.  The  incessant  disposition  to  vituperate 
and  repel  which  this  character  supposes,  must  be 
considered  as  indicating  either  a  want  of  principle,  or 
an  obliquity  of  temper,  of  the  most  unhappy  kind. 
Show  me  a  lawyer  or  physician  who  is  for  ever 
abusing  his  brethren,  and  I  will  show  you  a  man  un- 
worthy of  their  love  or  confidence.  The  same  rule 
applies,  perhaps  with  peculiar  force,  to  ministers  of 
the  gospel.  The  religion  which  they  teach  is  a  sys- 
tem of  love;  and  the  great  cause  which  they  profess 
to  seek,  is  tlie  cause  of  order,  union,  happiness,  and 
salvation,  temporal  and  eternal.  Ministers,  there- 
fore, not  only  ought  to  be  united  in  affection;  but 
just  so  far  as  they  are  honest,  and  in  earnest,  in  the 
great  cause  which  they  profess  to  love,  they  will  be 
so  united.  As  you  value  your  own  peace,  comfort 
and  usefulness;  and  as  you  wish  well  to  the  peace, 
and  edification  of  the  church,  cultivate  a  spirit  of 
Christian  love,  and  affectionate  intercourse,  with  all 
who  bear  the  sacred  office,  and  especially  with  those 
of  our  own  church.  Visit  them;  honour  them;  co- 
operate with  them;  and  put  far  from  you  every  thing 
which  tends  to  generate  coldness  or  strife  among 
them.  Your  own  happiness,  and  the  advancement 
of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom  are  more  concerned  in 
this  thing  than  you  are  probably  aware. 

8.  Never  allow  yourself  to  be  a  politician. 
Never  attend  political  meetings: — never  harangue  in 
political  companies: — never  scribble  political  para- 
graphs:— never  connect  yourself  with  political  par- 


MISCELLANEOUS  COUNSELS.  381 

ties: — nay,  do  not  indulge  in  much  political  conver- 
sation, even  with  your  friends.  Ministers  of  the 
gospel,  and  those  who  are  preparing  for  the  ministry, 
have  infinitely  more  important  work  to  do.  And 
rely  upon  it,  that,  in  all  cases,  the  more  of  a  politician 
you  are,  the  less  will  be  your  comfort  and  your  use- 
fulness as  an  ambassador  of  Jesus  Christ. 

9.  Let  your  recreations  be  always  such  as 
BECOME  YOUR  PROFESSION.  That  clerical  men  need 
recreation  as  much  as  others,  and  in  some  respects 
more,  is  too  evident  to  be  denied.  Yet  I  need  not 
say,  that  many  of  those  amusements  which  are  con- 
sidered as  innocent  by  worldly  people,  are  out  of  the 
question  for  you.  Happily  our  lot  is  cast  in  an  age, 
and  in  a  country,  in  which  public  sentiment  as  well 
as  the  word  of  God  very  unequivocally  prohibits 
them.  There  is,  however,  an  ample  range  of  choice 
still  left  for  any  reasonable  man.  All  that  become  a 
grave  Christian,  fall  within  this  range.  It  will 
readily  occur  to  you  that  the  active  discharge  of 
many  of  his  parochial  duties,  may  be  rendered  by  a 
pastor,  and,  if  zealously  engaged  in,  loill  become 
some  of  his  most  precious  recreations.  But  more 
than  this  will  be  necessary.  Riding  and  ivalking, 
of  course,  in  all  their  varieties,  belong  to  the  admis- 
sible class.  To  these  I  would  especially  add  gar- 
dening, as  one  of  the  most  rational,  delightful,  and 
profitable  of  the  whole  list.  Man  in  his  first  and 
most  perfect  state  was  placed  in  a  garden;  and  in 
proportion  as  men  imbibe  correct  sentiments  and 
cultivate  a  just  taste,  they  will  be  glad  to  get  back  to 
the  same  employment.  It  is  desirable  to  every  stu- 
dent to  have  some  recreation,  which  will  not  only  be 


382  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

salutary,  but  also  pleasant  and  attractive.  If  you 
engage  with  a  moderate  and  well  regulated  zeal  in 
the  culture  of  vegetables  and  shrubbery,  you  will 
not  probably  find  them  to  draw  you  away  from  your 
books  a  single  hour  more  than  will  be  useful  to  your 
health.  And  if  you  desire  your  gardening,  as  well 
as  your  ivalking  and  riding  to  be  doubly  agreeable, 
as  well  as  doubly  advantageous,  try  to  gain  at  least 
such  an  elementary  knowledge  of  botany  and 
mineralogy  as  will  give  you  an  additional  interest 
in  every  plant  you  cultivate,  and  in  every  fossil  on 
which  you  tread. 

10.  Never  allow  yourself  to  be  in  a  hurry. 
Clergymen  who  are  active  and  faithful,  have  com- 
monly so  much  to  do,  that,  unless  they  are  extremely 
diligent  and  orderly  in  their  affairs,  they  will  often 
be  painfully  hurried;  and  that  which  a  public  man 
does  in  a  hurry,  is  commonly  ill  done.  Few  men 
were  ever  more  busy  than  the  late  Mr.  John  Wes- 
ley; yet  he  significantly  remarked,  that  "  although 
often  in  haste,  he  was  never  in  a  hurry."  The  dis- 
tinction was  a  just  one.  He  had  always  a  number  of 
engagements  on  hand,  and  was  obliged  to  pass  rapidly 
from  one  to  another.  But,  amidst  them  all,  he  main- 
tained that  composure  of  mind,  which  enabled  him 
to  do  each  thoroughly  and  well.  This  is  an  impor- 
tant art.  Learn  it  as  speedily  as  you  can.  To  do  so 
completely  you  must  have  Mr.  Wesley^s  order,  his 
industry,  his  habitual  composure  of  mind,  and  his 
decision  of  character.  He  who  allows  himself  in 
lounging  and  laziness  at  one  time,  must  necessarily 
be  in  a  hurry  at  another.  And  he  who  has  not  the 
strictest  order  in  his  affairs,  must  either  be  half  his 


MISCELLANEOUS  COUNSELS.  383 

time  distracted  with  huny,  or  leave  one  half  of  his 
duty  undone. 

11.  Never  permit  yourself  to  be  concerned 
ABOUT  POPULARITY.  Ncver  inquire,  nor  be  anxious 
to  hear  what  is  said  of  you.  Popularity  seldom  fails 
to  fly  from  him  who  inordinately  seeks  it;  and  is 
never  so  likely  to  he  attained  as  by  him  who  gives 
himself  no  concern  about  it.  You  have  reason  to  be 
thankful  that  your  lot  is  cast  in  a  country  in  which 
we  have  no  religious  establishment,  for  the  support 
of  ministers  independently,  or  in  spite,  of  public 
opinion.  But  while  this  is  a  great  blessing,  it  be- 
comes, indirectly,  a  source  of  frequent  and  strong 
temptation.  The  temptation  is  that  of  deferring  more 
to  public  sentiment,  to  ])opular  praise  and  censure, 
than  we  ought.  Be  habitually  on  your  guard  against 
this  temptation,  Your  buisness  is  to  guide  public 
opinion,  not  to  let  it  guide  you.  Never  let  your 
course  he  prescribed  by  a  previous  calculation  whom 
you  shall  please,  and  whom  displease.  Manifest  no 
desire  to  hear  either  the  praise  or  the  blame  which 
may  be  expressed  concerning  you.  On  the  one  hand, 
if  the  language  of  praise  be  addressed  or  reported  to 
you,  be  not  elated  by  it;  for,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten, 
there  is  much  insincerity,  or  much  injudiciousness 
and  folly  mingled  with  it.  On  the  other  hand,  if 
you  become  the  object  of  censure,  let  it  neither  de- 
press nor  irritate  you.  If  it  be  just,  thankfully  pro- 
fit by  it,  and  if  it  be  unmerited,  still  carry  it  to  the 
throne  of  grace,  and  inquire  whether  some  good  use 
cannot  be  made  of  it.  Remember  that  he  who  does 
his  duty  faithfully,  affectionately,  and  perseveringly, 
will  seldom  fail  of  obtaining  as  much  popularity  as 


384  LETTEKS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

he  ought  to  have;  and  that  all  that  popularity  which 
rest  upon  any  other  basis,  is  unworthy  of  being 
either  sought  or  prized. 

12.  When  you  become  the  object  of  ill-natured 
attacks,  be  not  ready  to  take  any  public  notice 
OF  THEM.  That  extreme  sensibility  to  censure, 
which  prompts  public  men,  and  especially  ministers, 
to  repel  by  a  public  reply,  the  smallest  assault  which 
is  made  upon  them,  ought  by  no  means  to  be  cher- 
ished. Such  replies,  in  a  great  majority  of  cases, 
rather  give  importance  to  the  assailant  than  real  pro- 
tection or  honour  to  the  assaulted  Slander,  in  a 
multitude  of  cases,  cannot  be  killed;  but,  according 
to  the  old  proverb,  when  let  alone,  it  will  soon  die  of 
itself.  Seldom  undertake,  therefore,  to  defend  your- 
self against  rude  or  malignant  attacks.  Never  do  it 
in  haste,  or  without  consultation.  In  most  cases  such 
attacks  will  be  harmless,  unless  you  make  them 
otherwise.  Very  rarely  has  any  man  been  "  written 
down"  but  hy  himself. 

13.  Be  cautious  and  sparing  in  assigning  pub- 
lic REASONS  FOR  YOUR  CONDUCT.  Try  to  ascertain, 
in  every  case,  what  your  duty  is,  and  endeavour  to 
perform  it;  but  having  done  so,  leave  it,  for  the  most 
part,  to  speak  for  itself.  Undertaking  to  satisfy  the 
public  by  assigning  reasons  for  what  we  do,  is  often 
only  presenting  a  broader  front  for  ill-nature  or  ma- 
lignity to  strike  at.  As  long  as  people  only  guess 
at  your  motives,  or  reasons,  their  censure  may  be 
somewhat  restrained.  But  that  which  you  offer  by 
way  of  explanation,  or  of  justification,  may  give  them 
a  handle  against  you,  as  little  thought  of  by  yourself, 
as  it  is  gratifying  to  them.     The  action  itself  might 


MISCELLANEOUS  COUNSELS.  385 

have  passed  very  well;  some  one  or  more  out  of  half 
a  dozen  reasons  for  it,  may  possibly  give  mortal 
offence.  This  remark  applies,  perhaps,  to  no  class 
of  men  more  strongly  than  ministers  of  the  gospel, 
who  are  usually  connected  with  large  bodies  of  peo- 
ple, all  taking  an  interest,  and  feeling  as  if  they  had 
a  right  to  express  opinions,  concerning  every  thing 
they  say  and  do.  In  such  circumstances,  the  shortest 
and  safest  course  is  to  act  rightly;  offering  but  little 
by  way  of  explanation;  accustoming  those  around 
you  to  confide  in  your  wisdom,  and  committing  the 
whole  to  "Him  who  judgeth  righteously.^' 

14.  It  is  a  good    rule  of  prudence   for  a  public 
man  to  be  as  much  on  his  guard  against   his 

FRIENDS  AS  AGAINST  HIS  ENEMIES.       If  I  WCrC  askcd 

whether  public   men  were  more  frequently  injured 
by  their  enemies  or  their  friends;  I  should  certainly, 
and   with    confidence,    reply,    by    the    latter.      Be 
thankful  for  friends;  love  them;  be  grateful  to  them; 
and  be  always  ready  with  fidelity  to  serve  them.     But 
recollect  that  you  ought  to  guard  quite  as  vigilantly 
against  their  indiscretion,  their  folly,  and  their  sel- 
fishness, as  against  the  malice  of  your  enemies.    That 
general  who  wishes  to  succeed  in  his  great  military 
movements,  must  often  conceal  his  purposes  quite  as 
carefully  from  his  own   army,  as   from  that  of  the 
enemy.     So  it  is,  to  a  great  extent,  with  every  public 
man.     Never  commit  delicate  matters  to   many  in 
number,  even  of  your  best  friends;  and  never  forget, 
that  you    are    in    quite    as  much    danger   from   the 
tongues  of  those  who  love  you   most,  as  from   the 
hostility  of  your  bitterest  opposers. 

15.  In  travelling  among  strangers  guard  against 
2  H 


386  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

EVERY    THING    THAT    MAT    SAVOUR    OF    A    FORWARD 

OR  OBTRUSIVE  SPIRIT.     There  are  two  extremes  in 
relation  to  this  point,  into  one  or  the  other  of  which 
public  men  are  prone  to  fall.     Some  retreat  to  the 
most  private  recess  of  the  vehicle  in  which  they 
travel,  or  the  hotel  in  which  they  lodge,  and  wrap 
themselves  up  in  the  silence  and  impenetrable  reserve 
of  one  who  wishes  to  escape  from   all  intercourse 
with  his  species.     Others  are  forward,  talkative,  and 
apparently   desirous  of   making  themselves  known 
to  every  individual  with  whom  they  travel,  and  en- 
gaging with  prominence  in  every  conversation  that 
occurs.     The  former  is  a  monkish  plan  of  proceed- 
ing, by  which  an  intelligent  man  loses  many  pleasures 
and  advantages,  and  withholds  from  others  many  a 
social  benefit,  which  he  might  confer.     But  the  latter 
plan  of  deportment  is  no   less  faulty.     It  is  weak, 
undignified,  obtrusive,    and,   to  all    delicate   minds, 
extremely  revolting.    Be  invariably  polite,  and  ready 
to  accommodate  every  fellow  traveller;  but  never  ob- 
trude your  acquaintance  or  conversation  on  strangers. 
Rather  wait  to  be  drawn  out,  than  run  the   risk  of 
being  repelled  as  unduly  forward.     Those  who,  in 
travelling,  thrust  themselves  into  every  circle,  and 
meddle  in  every  conversation,  seldom,  I  believe,  get 
through  a  long  journey  without  placing  themselves 
in   circumstances,  which,  if  they   were  persons  of 
delicate  sensibility  (happily  for  their  feelings,  this  is 
seldom  the  case)  would  lead  to  many  an  hour  of  deep 
mortification.    When  designing  or  unprincipled  men 
meet  with  such  persons  in  public  vehicles  or  places, 
they  are  peculiarly  apt  to  single  them  out  as  objects  of 
their  artful   approaches,   under  the  confidence  that 


MISCELLANEOUS  COUNSELS.  387 

they  shall  find  them  more  accessihle  than  others,  and 
more  open  to  imposition. 

16.  In  travelling  in  public  vehicles,  and  in  putting 
up  at  public  hotels,   be   ever   ready  to  perform 

THE   appropriate   OFFICES  OF   RELIGION,  BUT  NEVER 
force  them    on    those    who    MANIFEST    NO    DESIRE 

TO  RECEIVE  THEM.  It  has  oflen  been  made  a  ques- 
tion, whether  at  public  tables,  in  hotels,  or  steam- 
boats, it  is  proper  for  a  clergyman  to  make  a  practice 
of  asking  a  blessing  and  returning  thanks  ?  My 
opinion  is,  that,  if  the  company  be  orderly,  and  a 
considerable  portion  of  it  decisively  respectful  to 
religion  and  its  institutions,  such  as  a  minister  has 
frequently  the  pleasure  of  meeting  in  public  convey- 
ances, it  is  expedient  for  him,  in  such  circumstances, 
to  approach  the  table  among  the  first,  and  reverently 
to  implore  the  divine  blessing.  But  if  the  company 
be  large,  disorderly,  noisy,  and  apparently  indisposed 
to  such  exercises,  and  there  be  no  weighty  portion  of 
it  ready  to  act  as  pioneers,  and  open  the  way  for  him, 
he  ought  not,  in  my  judgment,  to  force  his  services 
upon  such  an  assemblage.  If  after  you  become  a 
minister,  you  are  ever  thrown  into  such  a  situation, 
withdraw  to  a  quiet  end  of  the  table,  with  the  little 
group  who  may  be  like-minded  with  yourself,  if 
there  be  any  such  present,  and  there,  in  a  low  voice, 
only  to  be  heard  by  yourselves,  and  the  few  who  sit 
next  to  you,  implore  the  blessing  of  heaven  on  the 
comforts  of  which  you  partake.  When  you  fall  into 
such  turbulent  companies,  this  course,  if  my  obser- 
vation has  not  greatly  deceived  me,  is  best  adapted 
to  make  the  desired  impression. 

I  have  known  some  clergymen,  who,  in  travelling, 


388  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

thought  it  their  duty,  and  laid  it  down  as  a  rule,  at 
every  public  house  at  v^iich  they  put  up,  whether 
crowded  with  company  or  not,  without  exception,  to 
call  the  family  together  to  morning  and  evening 
prayers.  That  this  may  often  be  done,  very  accept- 
ably, and  to  great  advantage,  in  the  private,  or  family 
room,  where  the  keeper  of  the  house  and  his  family 
are  respectful  to  religion,  I  am  well  persuaded.  And, 
thex'efore,  a  clergyman  in  travelling  ought  ever  to  be 
on  the  watch  to  perceive,  and  ready  to  seize  favour- 
able occasions  to  introduce  the  worship  of  God.  But 
to  insist  on  doing  it  in  the  face  of  manifest  aversion, 
and  even  in  the  midst  of  a  noisy  and  profane  throng, 
as  I  have  sometimes  known  to  be  the  fact,  is,  verily, 
in  my  opinion,  "  casting  pearls  before  swine,"  and 
adapted  to  dishonour  rather  than  recommend  religion. 
17.    In   travelling,    be    not   ready   to    entangle 

YOURSELF  with  OBTRUSIVE  OR  TROUBLESOME  STRAN- 
GERS. In  almost  every  crowded  public  convey- 
ance that  you  enter,  there  are  passengers  who  an- 
swer this  description;  persons  who,  from  vulgarity, 
from  oflflciousness,  or  from  some  sinister  motive,  will 
be  disposed  to  fasten  themselves  upon  you,  and  en- 
deavour to  make  you  subservient  to  their  conveni- 
ence. They  will,  perhaps,  oppress  you  with  their 
conversation,  pester  you  with  tlieir  plans,  and  even 
lay  a  snare  for  your  politeness,  which  may  give  much 
trouble  afterwards.  Be  on  your  guard  against  such 
persons.  Give  no  encouragement  to  their  intimacy 
or  their  schemes,  especially  until  you  know  some- 
thing about  them.  The  exercise  of  common  civility 
to  them,  may  entangle  you  to  a  most  inconvenient 
degree.      To   this    class   of  travellers  females   are 


MISCELLANEOUS  COUNSELS.  389 

sometimes  found  to  belong.  Travelling  without  a 
protector,  they  may  feel  desirous  of  engaging  a  cler- 
gyman to  act  the  part  of  one;  who,  though  a  stranger 
to  them,  they  consider  as  furnishing,  in  his  profes- 
sion, a  pledge  of  fidelity  and  benevolence.  Often 
have  I  known  females  travelling  in  these  circum- 
stances, impose  themselves  on  clergymen,  travelling 
in  the  same  direction,  and  to  form  an  incumbrance  and 
impediment  of  the  most  serious  kind,  I  have  known 
ministers,  young  and  old,  on  journies  for  their  health, 
really  oppressed,  and  their  movements  most  unhap- 
pily, and  injuriously  trammelled,  by  these  self-created 
proteges.  Guard  against  every  such  imposition. 
If  you  do  not,  you  will  never  be  without  incum- 
brance. In  travelling,  be  polite,  accommodating  and 
benevolent  to  every  bod}-,  especially  to  females,  and, 
above  all,  to  unprotected  females  of  decent  appear- 
ance and  character.  But  do  not  allow  them,  in  ordi- 
nary cases,  to  identify  themselves  with  you;  to 
consider  you  as  their  humble  servant;  and  to  expect 
you  to  regulate  your  motions  by  their  convenience. 
Perhaps  no  class  of  men  have  so  much  reason  to  be 
on  their  guard  against  this  species  of  imposition  as 
ministers  of  the  gospel. 

IS.  In  travelling,  guard  against  giving  unneces- 
sary TROUBLE,  AND  MAKING  UNNECESSARY  COM- 
PLAINTS. I  have  often  observed  clergymen  and 
theological  students  to  act  indiscreetly  in  this  respect. 
They  have  given  so  much  trouble,  and  addressed 
themselves  so  offensively  to  stage  drivers,  boat-men, 
innkeepers,  and  servants  at  public  houses,  as  really 
to  be  regarded,  after  a  while,  as  a  nuisance  wherever 
2h* 


390  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

they  appeared.  Guard  against  this  mistake.  Speak 
to  persons  in  such  humble  stations  mildly  but  respect- 
fully. Be  sparing  in  your  demands  on  their  time 
and  services;  and  when  they  are  civil  to  you,  mani- 
fest a  thankful  spirit.  Be  not  ready  to  complain 
when  your  accommodations  are  not  such  as  could  be 
wished,  and  even  v/hen  they  are  shamefully  bad. 
What  good  will  your  complaints  do  ?  You  are  always 
completely  in  the  power  of  those  persons  in  whose 
vehicles  you  travel,  or  in  whose  houses  you  put  up; 
and,  in  most  cases,  loud  complaints  will  only  make 
the  matter  worse.  Besides,  ministers  ought  to  ex- 
hibit, every  where,  a  patient  spirit,  and  contentment 
with  such  things  as  they  may  chance  to  have.  Be 
easily  satisfied,  backward  to  complain,  and  respectful 
to  every  body;  and  the  impression  made  on  the  minds 
of  all  you  fall  in  with,  will  operate  more  strongly  in 
your  favour  than  you  can  easily  imagine. 

19.  Whenever  you  travel  out  of  your  own  imme- 
diate   neighbourhood,    be    careful    to    seek   and 

TREASURE  UP  ALL  THE  INFORMATION  WHICH  YOU 
MAY     HAVE     AN     OPPORTUNITY     OF     GAINING.         It    is 

wonderful  to  observe  under  what  a  lethargy  of  mind, 
many  intelligent  men  labour,  as  to  this  point,  in  their 
most  interesting  excursions.  They  travel,  perhaps, 
hundreds  of  miles  through  the  finest  regions  of  coun- 
try, without  making  a  single  inquiry,  or  treasuring 
up  a  single  fact,  adapted  to  solid  use  afterwards. 

This  is  a  fault,  really,  as  criminal  as  it  is  disrepu- 
table. I  advise  you  to  consider  every  journey  that 
you  take  as  "a  price  put  into  your  hands  for  getting 
wisdom."    Try  to  return  from  every  excursion  laden 


MISCELLANEOUS  COUNSELS.  391 

with  knowledge,  concerning  the  agricultural,  the 
commercial,  and  the  manufacturing  state  of  the  dis- 
tricts through  which  you  pass;  their  various  internal 
improvements,  their  literary,  moral,  and  religious 
condition;  the  numhers,  prospects,  wants,  &c.,  of  the 
different  ecclesiastical  denominations;  and  particu- 
larly any  institutions  or  practices  which  may  be 
worthy  of  imitation.  In  travelling,  always  keep  a 
diary.  If  it  be  as  minute  in  recording  what  you  see, 
as  well  as  what  you  do,  and  as  rich  as  it  ought  to  be, 
it  may  be  to  you  a  document  of  great  value  as  long 
as  you  live. 

20.    Learn   the    happy    art   of    turning    every 

THING     INTO      THE      CHANNEL      OF      RELIGION,      AND 

MAKING  EVERY  THING  SUBSERVIENT  TO  IT.  You  re- 
member that  Dr.  Johnson,  in  his  life  of  Dr.  Watts, 
remarks,  that  "  whatever  he  took  in  his  hand,  was,  by 
his  incessant  solicitude  for  souls,  converted  to  the- 
ology." This  is,  indeed,  exalted  praise  for  a  minister 
of  the  gospel.  May  you  be  enabled  to  merit  the 
same  eulogium !  If  you  should  live  to  be  invested 
with  the  sacred  office,  never,  for  a  moment,  lose  sight 
of  that  office  nor  the  duties  which  it  infers.  Let  all 
your  reading,  conversation,  plans,  journies,  recrea- 
tions, point  directly  to  the  advancement  of  the  Re- 
deemer's kingdom,  and  the  temporal  and  eternal 
welfare  of  men,  as  their  grand  centre.  Whatever 
others  may  do,  consider  yourself  as  a  man  consecrated 
to  the  great  work  of  doing  good,  to  your  latest  breath. 
To  this  let  every  pursuit  and  acquirement  be  subser- 
vient; to  this  make  every  thing  bend.  Wherever 
you   sojourn   or  reside,    be   ever  on  the  watch  for 


392  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS. 

opportunities  of  promoting  the  moral  and  spiritual 
benefit  of  yourself  and  others.  Recollect  that  you 
have  but  one  object  to  pursue, — the  extending  and 
building  up  that  "kingdom  which  is  not  meat  and 
drink,  but  righteousness  and  peace,  and  joy  in  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Let  the  last  words,  emphatically  re- 
peated, of  the  old  English  prelate, — Pro  Ecclesia 
Dei — Pro  Ecclesia  Dei — be  visibly  inscribed  upon 
every  thing  you  possess  and  do.  This  is  the  real  art 
of  "turning  every  thing  to  gold,"  in  the  best  sense; 
the  art  of  being,  in  the  highest  degree  that  this  world 
admits,  useful  and  happy. 

And  now,  my  dear  young  friend,  I  must  bring  to 
a  close  this  collection  of  counsels;  which  I  fear  my 
desire  to  omit  nothing  important,  has  led  me  too 
much  to  extend.  A  wish,  also,  that  nothing  might 
escape  your  notice,  has  led  me  to  present  the  same 
thought  more  than  once  in  different  connections. 
For  this  I  make  no  apology.  The  truth  is,  there  is 
so  intimate  a  relation  between  different  parts  of  truth 
and  duty;  they  so  run  into  one  another,  that  occa- 
sional repetition  is  unavoidable.  Nor  is  it,  for  vari- 
ous reasons,  undesirable.  The  impression  is  thereby 
reiterated,  and,  perhaps,  deepened. 

In  reviewing  the  various  details  to  which  your 
attention  has  been  called,  I  trust  you  will  often  be 
ready  to  exclaim — "Who  is  sufficient  for  these 
things  !"  Who  can  hope,  in  the  diversified  situa- 
tions and  duties  of  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  in  public 
and  private,  to  avoid  the  numberless  faults  to  which 
he  is  exposed  on  every  side,  and  to  exhibit  in  regard 
to  all  the  points  which  have  been  specified,  a  blame- 


MISCELLANEOUS  COUNSELS.  393 

less  example  ? — I  answer,  truly  no  one  who  is  not 
favoured  with  that  Divine  wisdom  and  aid,  which 
are  promised  to  those  who  unceasingly  ask  for  them. 
The  sentiments,  therefore,  which  I  should  wish  to 
see  reigning  in  your  mind  in  reference  to  this  whole 
suhject,  are  those  which  recognize  your  own  weak- 
ness, the  numher  and  power  of  tlie  temptations  which 
surround  you;  the  extreme  arduousness  of  the  task 
of  doing  well;  your  need  of  continual  help;  and  the 
obligation  which  you  are  under  to  "watch  and  pray," 
that  you  may  be  enabled,  in  any  tolerable  degree,  to 
observe  the  rules  enjoined. 

But,  while  I  wish  these  sentiments  to  be  deeply 
impressed  on  your  mind;  I  am,  at  the  same  time, 
persuaded,  that  the  substance  of  all  that  I  have  re- 
commended, may  be  considered,  with  that  Divine  aid 
which  is  promised  to  all  who  faithfully  seek  it,  as 
fairly  within  the  reach  of  every  candidate  for  the 
holy  ministry,  who  has  decent  talents,  and  genuine 
piety:  do  not,  therefore,  by  any  means  imagine,  that 
the  manners  and  habits  which  I  have  described,  are 
such  as  very  few,  and  those  only  who  have  special 
endowments,  and  advantages,  can  attain.  There  is 
not  a  student  in  our  Institution  who  might  not  make 
the  attainment,  if  he  had  the  piety  and  the  perseve- 
rance to  use  the  proper  means  for  the  purpose.  In 
this  opinion,  I  am  happy  in  being  fortified  by  the 
veneralde  President  of  our  Board  of  Directors,*  with 
whose  declaration,  delivered  to  a  body  of  your  prede- 
cessors in  the  seminary,  I  shall  take  my  leave  of  you. 

*  Rev.  Dr.  Gheex.    See  Christian  Advocate,  Vol.  I.  pp.  493,  494. 


394  LETTERS  ON  CLERICAL  MANNERS, 

"  In  this  matter  we  are  under  no  necessity  of  con- 
templating an  impossibility.— I  maintain  that  there 
is  a  point  in  good  manners,  which  every  theological 
student,  without  exception,  may  and  ought  to  reach; 
and  which,  whoever  reaches,  will  be  acceptable  and 
agreeable  to  persons  of  every  rank  and  condition  in 
life.     The  attainment  requires  little  more  in  order  to 
make  it,  than  the  meekness,  and  gentleness,  and  be- 
nevolence, and  courtesy,  which  the  gospel  itself  ex- 
plicitly recommends— and  enjoins;  and  a  failure  in 
which  must,  of  course,  be  reckoned  a  real  defect  in 
Christian  character.     The  man  who  has  reached  the 
point  I  have  in  view,  is  as  free  from  all  that  boorish 
roughness,  all  that  reserved  haughtiness  or  sullenness, 
all  that  clownish  rudeness,  and  all  those  disgusting 
habits  and  actions,  which  are  so  generally  and  justly 
offensive,    as    the    courtier    himself.      This    man    is 
neither  forward  nor  sheepishly  bashful;  he  is  self- 
possessed,  but  modest  and  retiring;  he  is  kind  and 
civil;  he   is  social   and  pleasant;   he   is  desirous  to 
please,  and  willing  to  be  pleased;  he  is  respectful  to 
age  and  station;  he  is  never  intrusive  or  officious;  he 
IS  on  all  occasions  accommodating  and  ready  to  do 
every  good  office  in  his  power;  and  he  never  arro- 
gates precedency   of  rank,   nor  demands  an   undue 
attention  to  himself.     Now  I  affirm,  that  every  minis- 
ter of  the  gospel,  and  every  theological  student  may 
possess  this  character;  and  that,  if  he  possess  it,  he 
will  be  offensive  to  no  one  in  point  of  manners.     Aim 
at  the  attainment  which  I  have  here  described:  aim 
at  it  constantly:  consider  it  as  a  Christian  duty  to 
do  so.     It  is,  in  the  strictest  sense,  a  Christian  duty; 


MISCELLANEOUS  COUNSELS.  395 

for  believe  me,  your  usefulness,  your  ability  to  do 
good,  will  greatly  depend  on  your  visible  demeanour." 
That  you,  my  dear  sir,  may  have  grace  given  you 
to  attain  this  character,  and  thus  to  adorn  the  sacred 
office,  and  become  an  eminent  blessing  to  the  church 
of  God,  is  the  unfeigned  prayer  of 
Your  sincere  friend, 

SAMUEL  MILLER. 

Princeton,  Jpril  10,  1827. 


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I  mYiI'i; 'I'nV  ^^'"ary-Speer  Library 


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